[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
EXAMINING VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
IN NORTHEAST INDIANA
=======================================================================
FIELD HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
OCTOBER 19, 2011
FIELD HEARING HELD IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
__________
Serial No. 112-33
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JEFF MILLER, Florida, Chairman
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida BOB FILNER, California, Ranking
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado CORRINE BROWN, Florida
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida SILVESTRE REYES, Texas
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California
BILL FLORES, Texas BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa
BILL JOHNSON, Ohio JERRY McNERNEY, California
JEFF DENHAM, California JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan JOHN BARROW, Georgia
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas
MARK E. AMODEI, Nevada
ROBERT L. TURNER, New York
Helen W. Tolar, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
______
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana, Chairman
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa, Ranking
BILL JOHNSON, Ohio LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
MARK E. AMODEI, Nevada
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
__________
October 19, 2011
Page
Examining Veterans' Employment Issues in Northeast Indiana....... 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Chairman Marlin A. Stutzman...................................... 1
Prepared statement of Chairman Stutzman...................... 41
Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member.................. 2
Prepared statement of Congressman Braley..................... 41
WITNESSES
Hon. W. Suzanne Handshoe, Mayor, Kendallville, IN................ 4
Prepared statement of Ms. Handshoe........................... 42
Mark A. Dobson, President, Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of
Commerce, Warsaw, IN........................................... 6
Prepared statement of Mr. Dobson............................. 43
Michael S. Landram, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, Fort Wayne, IN......... 8
Prepared statement of Mr. Landram............................ 45
Gregg Norris, Human Resources Manager, BAE Systems, Electronic
Systems Sector, Fort Wayne, IN................................. 9
Prepared statement of Mr. Norris............................. 46
Chris R. Straw, Co-Founder, Team Quality Services, Auburn, IN.... 11
Prepared statement of Mr. Straw.............................. 48
LTC Anthony D. Tabler, USA (Ret.), Senior Business Development
Manager, Communications and Force Protection Systems, ITT
Electronic Systems, Fort Wayne, IN............................. 13
Prepared statement of Colonel Tabler......................... 49
Mark W. Everson, Commissioner, Indiana Department of Workforce
Development, Indianapolis, IN.................................. 24
Prepared statement of Mr. Everson............................ 51
Gary Tyler, Indiana State Director, Veterans' Employment and
Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor..................... 26
Prepared statement of Mr. Tyler.............................. 55
LTC Marcus Thomas, ARNG, Indiana National Guard.................. 28
No Prepared statement of Colonel Thomas...................... --
EXAMINING VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT ISSUES IN NORTHEAST INDIANA
----------
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:00 a.m., in
the Main Branch of the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library
Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Hon. Marlin A. Stutzman [Chairman
of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Members Present: Representatives Stutzman and Braley.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN STUTZMAN
Mr. Stutzman. Good morning. I'd like to welcome you all to
the Subcommittee hearing, the Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity. I want to welcome each of you here today. This is
a great crowd. Thank you for coming out today for this official
meeting of the Subcommittee.
I'm Congressman Marlin Stutzman and to my left is
Congressman Bruce Braley, who I'll introduce to you here in a
little bit. I want to say thank you to our panelists and to
each and every person who is here, and especially to our
veterans today. We want to say a special thank you to you for
your service to our country.
Usually, when we hold hearings we are sitting in
Washington. Today I'm delighted to be here in Fort Wayne.
Northeast Indiana is home to 48,000 veterans. These men and
women have served our Nation with honor, and it is my honor to
serve as their voice in Congress on the House Veterans' Affairs
Committee. Chairing the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I
have the opportunity of working on veterans' employment and
education issues alongside the Ranking Member of this
Subcommittee, the Honorable Bruce Braley, who represents Iowa's
1st Congressional District.
And we actually just had a hearing in Iowa on Monday and
the hospitality in Iowa is just as generous as I hope you'll
find here in Indiana. Earlier this week we hosted that
committee, and we heard from Iowa veterans, and I'm happy to
have him here today and I want to welcome him.
Fort Wayne has a long history beginning with settlements by
Native Americans in the area followed by a fort built by
General Mad Anthony Wayne in the 1790s. Since then, Fort Wayne
has played an important role in Indiana's history and is known
for our manufacturing, education, insurance, health care,
logistics, defense, security, and agriculture. Fort Wayne has
been named an All-American City on three occasions, and most
recently in 2009.
We are here today to hear from Hoosiers about the
employment difficulties facing far too many members of the
Indiana National Guard, the Reserves, and those returning from
active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other parts of the
world. While the unemployment rate for all Indiana veterans was
6.9 percent, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that
the 35.6 percent of America's Gulf Era 2 veterans, ages 20 to
24, are unemployed. While 8.8 percent of Gulf Era 2 veterans,
ages 25 to 54, were unemployed.
More shocking is anecdotal information that as much as 30
percent of returning members of the guard and reserves do not
come home to a job. Clearly, we need to find ways to reduce all
of those numbers. The House Committee on Veteran Affairs has
taken a first step towards that end last week by passing H.R.
2433, a bill that would provide up to a year of GI Bill
benefits to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60.
The bill now goes the Senate. We hope to get the bill to the
President for his signature by Veteran's Day along with several
other improvements to veteran's benefits.
I want to take a moment to explain that this particular
meeting is a formal hearing. It is to be inserted into the
official congressional record. Keeping with the standard
protocol of official committee hearings, we will not be taking
questions from the audience during the hearing today. Rather,
we'll be taking testimony from our panelists that we have
arranged for the hearing today.
I'm also pleased to announce that afterwards, as many of
you know and hopefully are aware of, that we will be having an
open house at the conclusion of this meeting outside in the
hallway. And looking forward to hearing from veterans, but that
will be after this hearing today.
At this time I'd like to yield to the gentleman from Iowa,
Bruce Braley. We actually not only work together on this
Subcommittee, on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, but our
offices are actually next to each other on the 7th floor in
Longworth, as well.
Thank you, and welcome, Mr. Braley.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Stutzman appears on p. 41.]
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY
Mr. Braley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's my pleasure to be
here today in Fort Wayne, and it's great to see so many
veterans out in the audience because we know these issues
impact you, your friends, and your family. So we're delighted
to have you here. I've told the chairman on more than one
occasion that the thing that binds my home town of Waterloo,
Iowa to Fort Wayne is that we were both original franchises in
the National Basketball Association. And then they stole your
franchise and moved it to Detroit. They stole ours and moved it
to St. Louis and then to Atlanta. So that's the one thing that
brings us all together is our unified opposition to people who
come in and take great sports franchises out of places like
Fort Wayne.
Most of what I know about veteran's issues I learned from
my father. My father enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was
17. He was a farm kid in Iowa. He landed on Iwo Jima the day
both of the flags were raised on Mount Suribachi. And when we
had our hearing in Iowa I read from his discharge form which
was a two-page form that really didn't have much information on
it. It had what his interests were when he went back home,
which was farming.
It had an interest in exploring education when the GI Bill
was brand new. But other than that, there really wasn't a lot
of assistance he received at the Great Lakes Naval Training
Center when they sent him packing and he got on a train and
headed back to Iowa.
The good news is we've come a long way in helping veterans
try to transition from an active-duty deployment, whether
they're active or in the Guard and Reserve, into the civilian
workforce. But we've got a long way to go. The statistics the
Chairman cited are totally unacceptable. When one out of every
four returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are out of
work, that is a shameful legacy for this country, and that is
the entire purpose of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
that I'm fortunate to work on with Chairman Stutzman. And we
aren't going to rest, and no American should rest, until every
veteran who wants a job has a job.
We heard very compelling testimony in Iowa on Monday, and I
know we're going to hear compelling testimony today. But the
thing that came through loud and clear from many veterans who
have served their country with honor and distinction in harm's
way, seen their friends injured and killed, is that it's one
thing when you come home to have someone say thank you for your
service, but the best way I know of to thank a veteran is hire
a veteran. And what we want to do is come up with some creative
solutions to help employers who are looking for great employees
and veterans who are looking for work, bridge that gap so that
we can find jobs for veterans who want them, and we can address
the huge problems of unemployed veterans that concern us all.
So I'm very delighted to be here. I'm anxious to hear the
testimony of our witnesses, and I look forward to talking to
you afterwards.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Braley appears on p. 41.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you. And I would just say this: One of
the joys that I have working on the Veterans' Affairs
Committee, is the bipartisanship that is on the Committee. And
you hear a lot of wrangling out of Washington, but I can tell
you that both parties, Republican and Democrat, do see the
need. And one of the things that I've appreciated about the
President's Jobs Bill and other leadership in Washington is
that we are now focusing more on hiring veterans as they do
come home because this is a great need.
We heard testimony from a gentleman in Iowa who was a
captain in the military, a farm kid, had a family, small
family. If you would see him walk through the door, you would
say that young man should be able to find work fairly easy, and
he is having a very difficult time finding work, and we hear
stories like that. And Congressman Braley, the heart that he
has and the passion that he has for helping veterans is evident
as we have heard testimony from several folks from his district
on the problems that they face, whether it's in housing,
whether it's in finding employment.
And so this is a great opportunity for us, and we're
excited that we moved out of Washington and are doing these
hearings back in our districts because we not only want to
highlight the problem, we also want to find solutions and in
connecting people and helping our veterans because we are going
to have a great challenge in front of us as veterans come home
from these wars. As they dwindle down, we want to make sure
they come home to opportunities, and so that is what our task
is on this committee.
And so with that, we will start the hearing. And at this
time I want to welcome our first panelists today. We are joined
by Mayor Suzanne Handshoe of Kendallville; and Mr. Mark Dobson
of the Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Mike
Landram of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce; Mr.
Gregg Norris of BAE Systems, a company right here in Fort
Wayne; Mr. Chris Straw of Team Quality Services, a company from
Auburn; and Mr. Tony Tabler of ITT Systems, another defense
contractor here in Fort Wayne that employs folks right here at
home.
Each of you will have five minutes to summarize your
testimony, and your full written statements will be made part
of the hearing record today. I want to say thank you to each
you for taking time to come to this. We believe it's very
important, and I believe you do as well. And we're anxious to
work together.
Our timer is here. We don't have a clock. But if you watch
the lights, green means we go, yellow means slow it down, and
red means stop. But we do want to hear your testimony, so feel
comfortable. And I'm sure that not only us, but I'm sure the
audience welcomes you, as well.
Mayor Handshoe is a veteran, and her husband is actually in
Guantanamo Bay and is going to be home in time for Christmas.
So we're praying for his safe return. Start with you for your
testimony. Thank you for being here.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. SUZANNE HANDSHOE, MAYOR, KENDALLVILLE,
IN; MARK DOBSON, PRESIDENT WARSAW-KOSCIUSKO CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE, FORT WAYNE, IN; MIKE LANDRAM, PRESIDENT AND CEO,
GREATER FORT WAYNE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, FORT WAYNE, IN; GREGG
NORRIS, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, BAE SYSTEMS, ELECTRONIC
SYSTEMS SECTOR, FORT WAYNE, IN; CHRIS R. STRAW, CO-FOUNDER,
TEAM QUALITY SERVICE, AUBURN, IN; AND LTC ANTHONY D. TABLER,
USA (RET.), SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, COMMUNICATIONS
AND FORCE PROTECTION SYSTEMS, ITT ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS, FORT
WAYNE, IN
STATEMENT OF THE HON. SUZANNE HANDSHOE
Ms. Handshoe. Congressman Stutzman, Congressman Braley, and
gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to be here today to
discuss the very important issues of veterans. I would like to
share some of my own experiences, both good and bad, and those
of family members. First, I'm a retired Marine Corps Chief
Warrant Officer 4. When I returned to Kendallville after Desert
Storm, the economy was weak and jobs were not easy to find. I
did find a job as a temporary at Kraft Foods while I worked on
my degree.
During the mid 1990s, while an active Marine Corps
reservist and Desert Storm veteran, I applied for a position as
a caseworker with the Department of Family and Children. During
the interview process, I was asked if I had to attend any
training that would require me to be absent. I explained that I
would be gone for a minimum of 2 weeks of training a year and
possibly additional longer to attend educational requirements
of my rank. I was flatly told that it would be unfair for the
other members of the staff to pick up the slack when I would be
gone for the case loads. So it just wouldn't be fair to them.
Needless to say, I did not get the job.
The Northeast Indiana Special Education Cooperative hired
me because I was a Marine. The executive director was a former
Marine and felt that I could handle any of the challenges he
threw my way. When I was activated in 2003 for Operation
Enduring Freedom as a casualty assistance officer for Northeast
Indiana and Western Ohio, they held my position and were
extremely supportive, not only of me, but of my family.
As mayor we've had a councilman deployed twice in the past
few years to Afghanistan and Iraq. We supported him in any way
that we could during his absence. We also had a firefighter
activated for duty in Afghanistan and, obviously, his position
was held and we welcomed him back to our ranks on his return.
The City of Kendallville was recently awarded the employer
support of the Guard and Reserve, the above and beyond award
for the support that we show to our military members, and it
was really an honor for us.
A great story of patriotism is my brother-in-law. He is
employed by Graphic Packaging in Kendallville. He joined the
Army due to the events of September 11th. He served for 5 years
and did three combat tours. When he was honorably discharged,
Graphic Packaging not only gave him his job back, but they gave
him all 5 years of seniority while he served.
I've also learned, since we spoke last evening, that Kraft
has also held some positions for people who were called to
duty. One of the positions was a maintenance personnel who was
actually a temporary and Kraft held that as a full-time
position and gave it to him when he returned.
Shouldn't we be recognizing or rewarding companies who
follow these actions? I feel we should.
Last year my husband, Randy Handshoe, interviewed for a
teaching position at a middle school. The panel looked at his
resume and commented that he was in the Navy Reserve. He
answered, that is correct. One of the members asked him, does
this mean that you could be deployed? He responded with, yes,
every person that wears a uniform has this risk. The next
comment was, well, where would that leave us? He was not hired.
Shouldn't we be feeling good about putting on our resume
that we are veterans, instead of feeling that maybe we should
hide it so that we could get the job? Randy did receive orders
several months later and was called to duty December 26th,
2010, and he's still serving as a chief petty officer with the
staff judge advocate's office in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. What is
troubling to me is that he will return at Christmas with no
job, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in education. I'm certain
that I have other constituents that are having trouble finding
work, or worse, not being offered work because they're
reservists who have had multiple deployments or the threat
exists that they would be called to duty.
As the war continues, it is no longer fashionable to
support military members. How sad. Perhaps, some consideration
should be given to incentivize companies, through tax credits,
who do hire veterans.
I thank you, respectfully.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Handshoe appears on p. 42.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Dobson, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MARK A. DOBSON
Mr. Dobson. Good morning. Congressman Stutzman, Congressman
Braley, thank you so much for holding this hearing here in Fort
Wayne today and for the one in Iowa yesterday. That you're
holding this hearing in Indiana and Iowa shows how much
commitment the Congress sees for the veterans of America, and
we greatly appreciate that. I'm humbled and honored to be here
to speak on this very important issue; one that distresses us
all when we hear testimony, such as the mayor's testimony, on
the difficulty of re-employment when you return. Our country's
brightest and our country's best have given of themselves so we
may continue to enjoy the freedoms that we all have. They've
stepped forward and they've heeded the call to duty. And for
that, we are all grateful, so now we're compelled to do all we
can to make sure that veterans return to America and take their
rightful place in the private sector.
The dichotomy here is that veterans expect no special
treatment. They do not wish to have opportunity handed to them.
They, more than anybody else in the room, understand what
America stands for, and they will carve a significant path in
our society. So I feel like it's our duty to make sure we break
down any barriers that might exist out there so they can
transition to the private sector.
With these thoughts in mind, I contacted 30 businesses in
Kosciusko County and the veterans officer at Grace College to
understand what are some of the issues. And it seemed as though
the consistent feedback came to three very significant things
at this point. The first thing they all did was tell me how
much they value and prize our military and express their
sincere appreciation. But I knew we had to dig deeper and so we
did, and three themes came out; economic constraints caused by
the sagging economy, lack of business engagement with the
military, and transitional training for veterans.
The economic constraints are reflected by the state of our
economy today. Companies facing the uncertainty out there are
putting off hiring decisions. They're making hard decisions not
to hire whether it be veterans or those who have not served. In
a climate where unemployment is over 9 percent, job seekers are
seeking greater competition when they're out there. And,
arguably, the training received in the military would give you
a competitive advantage, but that advantage is diminished when
the pool of job seekers is so great.
The private sector's engagement with the military is an
additional challenge. Quite often businesses do not have
knowledge of veteran's issues or the availability of veterans.
They don't know who the contact points are, and they don't know
when a veteran might be back and available for employment. When
a deployment ends or a veteran retires, it's sometimes the
first that we know of in the private sector.
And, finally, another consistent comment was that, while
the veteran's training is excellent, the transitional skills
sometimes are challenging. Quite often assistance is needed
with resume development, interviewing skills, and transitional
job training. Obviously, some skills in the military are very
easily transitionable to the private sector. If you've been a
pilot, you probably can find private sector work.
But if the job description in the military, and pardon the
candor or pardon the hilarity, includes blowing up things, it's
really hard for the private sector to understand how can I
translate those skills into my workforce. So we believe there
are some things that can be done to help and move this issue
forward. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a terrific program to help
transition veterans to the private sector, but we think it
could be more effective if chambers of commerce, economic
development agencies, Work One agencies, and those engaged in
the private sector are a part of the process.
Today we're not traditionally contacted and don't often
know when vets are training for a new job opportunity. Yet, we
survey our workforce. We do job databases, and we are probably
the best resource for characterizing what our community needs
in terms of employment. If you have high level aeronautical
skills, as an example, I can find you a position in Kosciusko
County in the orthopaedic industry because the skills are quite
often very similar.
The second issue that we think we can do to help on this is
have some advanced communications with entities such as ours.
If we could begin to notify employers in our community that a
deployment is ending in the near future, we believe we could
become a resource for veterans in hiring. Perhaps positions can
be held for those vets as they come back. We realize the
challenge that the military doesn't want to exactly say when
they're leaving a deployment or ending a deployment, but the
sooner we can get advanced notice, the more we can be a
resource.
And finally, the U.S. Chamber has launched the Hiring of
Our Heroes program. It's a hundred chambers and the U.S.
Chamber working specifically on this issue. We have spoken this
morning. Our chamber and the Fort Wayne chamber are going to be
involved in a Hiring of Our Heroes event. That engagement, we
think, can be of assistance and can help in this transition,
and we're honored and humbled to be able to be a part of that.
And I see I've gone over my time. Thank you for this
opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Dobson appears on p. 43.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Landram, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL S. LANDRAM
Mr. Landram. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of
the Subcommittee. My name is Mike Landram, President and CEO of
the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. We're the third
largest chamber in the State of Indiana with over 1700 members.
And those members collectively do about 18 billion dollars a
year in annual revenues and serve over 750 different
industries.
The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is very involved
in veteran affairs issues. In addition to having veteran-owned
businesses as our members, we're heavily engaged in advancing
the defense industry and cluster in Northeast Indiana. What my
testimony will center around is sharing with you the many
initiatives this collective group is doing currently as
solutions and offerings to the topic of today's session. Like
the rest of the country, we are acutely aware of the employment
struggles veterans are faced with. We have a unique insight
into the issues due to having a large National Guard base here
in Fort Wayne. We're in regular communications with the base on
the issues facing their guardsmen and are actively pursuing
programs to fight unemployment among veterans. The Greater Fort
Wayne Chamber of Commerce is a charter member of the Northeast
Indiana Defense Industry Association board, or also known as
NIDIA. NIDIA's membership is composed of businesses, higher Ed,
congressional staffers, all working together toward the common
goal, funding the defense industry and providing regional
support and promotion of the industry and the contributions
made to the defense industry in Fort Wayne and Northeast
Indiana.
Secondly, workforce development is a critical concern for
the defense cluster. Many of the members of NIDIA have worked
together to define their future staffing needs. Due to
primarily an aging engineer workforce, engineers in many
specialized areas will be retiring. Members of NIDIA work very
closely in collaborative fashion to communicate their skill
needs with the university partners as a way to ensure future
graduates will meet the industry needs.
Additionally, many small businesses in Northeast Indiana
started and serve within the supply chain of the defense
industry. For example, NIDIA conducted a member expo as a way
for various small business members to describe their products
and services to the defense industry. At monthly meetings
presentations are done by businesses to the board that outline
how businesses can work collaboratively with the defense
industry in hiring and employing veterans.
Lastly, Northeast Industry started the PTAC, Procurement
Technical Assist Center, in 2009. PTAC serves as an advisor to
businesses to inform them how to qualify themselves to do
business with the government. In many ways this can be an
option and an outlet for veterans starting their own business.
In addition to our involvement with NIDIA, the chamber's
assisting the National Guard base with implementing a STARBASE
program in Fort Wayne. STARBASE is geared towards elementary
students, primarily Fifth Graders, to expose them to STEM
subject matter. These students are nationally--or traditionally
at-risk students. The program encourages their learning in
areas of academics that are historically underrepresented in
STEM. Military volunteers from the National Guard, Navy,
Marine, Air Force Reserve, and Air Force bases across the
Nation work with students to set and achieve goals by helping
apply these abstract principles in these disciplines to real-
world situations. STARBASE is a perfect example of the
investment we can make in young people of our society in hopes
that they'll take the experience and apply it to whatever field
they choose to pursue.
We know the issue of unemployment among veterans is an
issue that will continue for the unforeseeable future given our
current economic state. To that end our chamber, along with
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and, as Mr. Dobson had already
alluded to, will be hosting a Hiring Our Hoosiers event in Fort
Wayne. And we're going to consider even expanding it to
Northeast Indiana sometime in the next year. The scheduling of
this event has not been set precisely due to the uncertainty of
deployment schedule in our area. These events will benefit not
only veterans but are open to their spouses, as well.
The issues veterans face concerning unemployment are
substantial. As home to the National Guard base, we hear
stories of soldiers being deployed only to return to jobs that
have been down-sized or eliminated. At the same time in this
double-dip recession, their spouses are having trouble
maintaining employment. While these issues are not unique to
veterans, they are exacerbated by the inability to determine
their schedule.
As part of our commitment to further advancing the military
in Fort Wayne, I sit as the secretary of the newly formed Fort
Wayne Base Community Council. Our purpose, as stated, is to
continue to improve the outstanding relationship between the
civilian community and the military service community centered
around Fort Wayne, Indiana and to promote the general welfare,
prosperity, and quality of life between the military and
civilian population. By being involved in this council, our
goal is to partner with businesses and military in order to
create a mutually beneficial partnership.
To conclude my testimony, we have been very active at the
state level trying to support our state representative, Tom
Dermody's bill to study these effects of the 3 percent pricing
preference for veteran-owned businesses. We are continuing to
push in that cause. We actually got one of our chamber members,
Mr. Jerry Hogan, appointed through Senator David Long's office
through the Military Affairs Commission to be able to explore
the matter further. If the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of
Commerce can be of any assistance in this important fight, I
encourage you to call us.
Thank you, again, for the opportunity to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Landram appears on p. 45.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Norris, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF GREGG NORRIS
Mr. Norris. Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, as a representative
of an employer of nearly 1,000 employees in Northeast Indiana,
I appreciate the opportunity to discuss with you the
experiences we have had recruiting and employing nearly 100
veterans into our business. My name is Gregg Norris, and I am
the human resources manager for the BAE Systems facility here
in Fort Wayne. BAE Systems is a global defense and security
company with approximately 100,000 employees world-wide. At our
Fort Wayne facility, we manufacture a variety of both
commercial and defense electronics for avionics applications.
Our workforce is comprised of approximately 650 union
represented hourly production workers with a balance of 300
support personnel. Our company, including legacy owners, has
been in Fort Wayne since 1985. We have been very fortunate to
be able to grow the Fort Wayne business, from just over 700
employees in 2004, to a planned population of nearly 1,000 by
the end of this year. Veteran hiring has played a significant
role in the success of this effort. Local hiring efforts that
focus on veteran hiring include participation in the BAE
Systems Corporate Warrior Integration Program of which I have
provided additional information in my written testimony.
Local hiring efforts also reach a large military audience
by advertising all of the Fort Wayne openings through
vetjobs.com. Career Builders talent network is also utilized
which reaches 98 percent of transitioning military through
their partnerships with the top military job boards, Department
of Veterans Affairs, and the primary social media source,
Facebook.
BAE Systems participates in a variety of corporate hiring
career fairs across the country, including last year's
participation in Chicago where Fort Wayne employees attended.
When we consider veterans during our recruiting process, we
feel there are many positive skill sets that these individuals
automatically offer to our company. Two of the talents that
servicemen and women offer immediately, as a result of their
military experience, are teamwork and a sense of self-
discipline. It is critical to our business that we have
employees with the necessary skills to effectively work
together. Like the military, for us to be successful, we must
all work together towards a common goal or mission. The
discipline that is instilled in soldiers, as part of their
military background, is also a strongly desired employee
attribute. We need people that show up for work, arrive on
time, support our leadership, and have a strong sense of
respect for themselves, their co-workers, and the company's
values. All characteristics we typically find in our veterans.
In terms of the recommendations that I would offer to the
Committee based on feedback from our recruiting team, I would
first and foremost encourage continued focus on education and
opportunities for veterans to return to school. Many of the
positions within BAE Systems require college degrees which can
be an obstacle for veterans.
Although the majority of our positions are hourly
associates in Fort Wayne and require only a high school
diploma, post-secondary educational experiences can still be of
great value to a veteran candidate in differentiating
themselves from a very large pool of potential candidates.
As I considered other recommendations, I thought it might
be beneficial if I spoke with a veteran that we recently hired.
For purposes of this testimony I will refer to our veteran
employee as Bruce. Bruce is an 11-year veteran who served in
both Afghanistan and Iraq. He served in multiple capacities,
including his final duty as lead security for his executive
officer. Bruce saw extensive combat action while in theater and
was eventually released from duty in 2007 due to severe
injuries he had sustained. It gave me a profound sense of
gratitude and honor to listen to Bruce describe the sacrifices
he had made for our country.
I asked Bruce how he had heard about our job openings and
why he applied for one of our positions. He told me that he had
maintained a close relationship with his former executive
officer who had retired from the military and taken a position
with BAE Systems in Fayetteville, Georgia. Bruce's former
executive officer had recommended BAE Systems as a strong
company with good values. Bruce also recalled several instances
of BAE Systems equipment that he had used while on active duty.
Bruce then did an Internet search on BAE Systems and found our
production associate job posting online. He applied, met all
the selection criteria and joined our team on August 29th, this
year.
I then asked Bruce what recommendations he might have for
the Subcommittee. Bruce hesitated for a long moment and said,
tell them I would describe how I felt when I left the service
in one word, helplessness. Bruce went on to tell me that he
vividly recalls receiving his military paperwork and being told
he was free to leave, but he had no idea what to do next. He
had been provided some resume building assistance, but he had
no idea where or how to start finding a job, let alone a
career.
After listening to Bruce's story I would respectfully
recommend some attention be given to what is provided in the
way of out placement services for our veterans. Resume building
is one small piece of this process. There is, however, so much
more in the way of career counseling provided by out placement
companies. These services would provide immeasurable benefit to
our veterans. BAE Systems uses similar companies to provide
this much needed service for our employees that are impacted by
reductions in force. The employees that we are no longer able
to employ are very appreciative of this service. I would expect
that our veterans would feel the same sense of appreciation
should they be offered this assistance as they rejoin civilian
life.
Chairman Stutzman and distinguished Members of the
Subcommittee, we at BAE Systems are proud to be able to support
our fighting men and women, both in combat, and in the
workplace when they return to life at home. Thank you so much
for the opportunity to speak with you today.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Norris appears on p. 46.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Straw, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF CHRIS R. STRAW
Mr. Straw. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Chris Straw
and I'm a business owner with Team Quality Services located in
Auburn, Indiana. And I have unique perspective being on this
panel because I am both an employer and I am also a veteran.
And I've been on both sides of that table when you're trying to
be interviewed and when you're interviewing. It does, it
provides a unique perspective for me, and I see both sides. I
flew for the Air Force Reserve out of Grissom from 1994 through
2003, was deployed to Afghanistan after September 11th, started
my company in 1997. And trying to run a company from halfway
across the globe is quite challenging as you can imagine. And
that actually is what forced me to get out of the military in
2003. I had to make a choice of what I was going to do, and I
was fortunate that I had a job to come back to because I knew
the boss very well. It was me.
And when I looked at this testimony today, I tried to break
it down into three main areas that I felt were important based
on my point of view. And one of them is the lack of familiarity
with Northeast Indiana with the military. There's just not a
lot of involvement for regular folks to interact with the
military and get to know how the military works. Being in the
Air Force Reserve, I got to travel all over the globe and
throughout the United States. And in my written testimony I
made an example of the State of Texas which has a lot of
military bases there. The cities are very familiar with the
military. You take San Antonio, countless military bases in
that one city alone. The chances that somebody there probably
knows a veteran, probably knows somebody that works at a base,
or they work at a company that supports the base. They
understand a little bit better than what I think Northeast
Indiana does of how the military works and what those people
are like.
And with that, unfortunately, we're faced with getting an
education of the military in Northeast Indiana through
resources such as the news, Hollywood. And that's where our
perspective comes from which as we know, and I know as a
veteran, that's not the truth. And so unfortunately there's
kind of a clouded view when it comes to perception of military
veterans in Northeast Indiana.
The second thing I would say is that it has to do with the
skill set, and I refer to Mr. Dobson's testimony where he said
the military does an excellent job of training their people for
specific jobs and a lot of those excellent skill sets of
teamwork and things Mr. Norris touched on do transfer over, but
it is a very competitive environment right now, and there needs
to be more than just that.
Those are great things that the veteran brings along, but
I'm also interviewing people with high unemployment, I'm
getting people for jobs that are maybe an hourly type of a job,
and I get people with Ph.D.'s coming in, and they've been
unemployed for 9 months, a year, year and a half. So it really
puts the military member almost at a disadvantage, especially
if they don't have the education to match that.
And I would say the third thing would be the interaction
with the Guard. And being a Reserve guy myself, I completely
understand how the Reserve system works, and I understand the
commitments that are caused by that. However, again, based on
the lack of education in Northeast Indiana and the businesses
that are here, they don't.
And what Ms. Handshoe was talking about where when people
get interviewed, are you a member of the Guard Reserve? Yes.
You know, as you're interviewing people, it's sad to say,
you're looking for reasons to eliminate this person because
I've got to narrow my field down to who can take this job. And
that's a--I would consider our company a small business. And in
a small business I don't have thousands of people in my office.
I have ten. And so to hire somebody that may or may not be able
to be there, I look at the size of my office and what that
means if somebody, all of a sudden, get a notice that they're
deployed. What does that mean to me? Well, that means I have to
either replace that or absorb that in my other colleagues.
Companies operate as lean as possible right now especially,
and so it's very difficult to absorb it because you've built it
so that you can't absorb it. And so what do you do? Do you
bring in somebody to temporarily fill that assignment, hire
them on as an employee only to let them go when the reservist
comes back and then I'm faced with unemployment, for paying the
guy that I hired in temporarily.
So you can see the struggle and the uphill battle that the
veteran faces when he's sitting in the interview.
Unfortunately, you're almost considering whether I put that
on a resume or not, and that's very sad, very sad.
But I think, like I said, it has to do a lot with the
education of, not only the veterans, but also the people in
this community to embrace and understand what it means to be
veteran and what a veteran can bring to them.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Straw appears on p. 48.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Tabler, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF LTC ANTHONY D. TABLER
Colonel Tabler. Congressman Stutzman, Congressman Braley, I
would like to thank you in advance for giving me an opportunity
to share my views on ways to help veterans, the National Guard,
reservists. My name is Tony Tabler. I work for ITT Electronic
Services. I spent 22 years in the army retiring as a lieutenant
colonel in 2001. And since retiring I've had regular contact
with members of the active military and veterans. I've spoken
to them at their military places of duty, in the community, and
at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission. I'm going to share my views
on what I think can be done to help decrease the unemployment
rate for veterans.
Helping veterans to find employment starts when they
transition from the military units and they return to civilian
life. When I transitioned from the military at Fort Gordon,
Georgia, I received guidance and coaching at the transition
office on how to write a resume and how to best describe my
skills and capabilities in a way that the civilian sector would
understand. Transitioning for me was easy. I was a lieutenant
colonel with an advanced degree, many contacts in defense
companies. However, this is not the case for our younger
veterans. The excitement of leaving the military quickly fades
for some veterans when they arrive at their home town, and try
to figure out what they want to do as civilians.
I believe it is important for the veteran to be able to
visit, for lack of better words, a civilian in processing
center that provides an opportunity for them to take a job
aptitude test to determine the work that would best be suited
for them. Not sure where this would occur, but potentially it
could be conducted at an existing Veteran Affairs facility.
During the civilian in processing, the veteran should be
given assistance in further developing their resume that allows
them to match their skills against the job skills needed in the
community. At the in-processing facility, they should also be
coached on how to participate in a job interview. It would also
be valuable if, at that in-processing facility in the
community, they had a listing of military friendly businesses
and job opportunities.
With regard to military friendly businesses, I believe that
offering some type of tax credit to companies who hire veterans
would encourage them to be military friendly and make it
appealing for them to hire veterans. Also, as was mentioned
before, veterans should be encouraged to provide higher
education. Many soldiers have little or no family support when
it comes to pursuing higher education even though they have
educational benefits.
Once in the community, I believe it's also important to
encourage veterans to periodically visit a veteran gathering
place for professional development. This could potentially take
place at a Veteran Affairs, National Guard facility or places
of worship. But this would be a great opportunity for caring
professionals in the community to periodically speak with and
mentor veterans. I'm sure that professionals in the community
would be willing to donate their time and offer free seminars
that benefit veterans. Places of worship should also be
encouraged to reach out to the military and their families.
Opportunities for people arise when they have personal
connections with other people who are interested in their
success.
I would now like to just share a few things about what ITT
is doing to recognize and care for our veterans. ITT hires
veterans in the course of our normal hiring activities. We e-
mail job openings to NAVNET for posting. We also post to
recruitmilitarry.com and vetjobs.com. We periodically attend
recruit military career fairs and place advertisements in the
Search and Employ quarterly magazine sponsored by Recruit
Military. The Web site nd.com scrapes our geospatial systems
Web site daily, and they post job listings to numerous Web
sites and provide opportunities for veterans.
In addition, we post to Monster which has military.com and
Linkedin which is a business related social networking site in
an effort to target veterans. In Fort Wayne ITT is also a
member of the Northeast Indiana Defense Industry Association
which was discussed before. And this group also focuses on the
employment of veterans and does so by sharing resumes between
the various companies. Although I have made just a few brief
comments I hope that I've sparked a few ideas that will result
in ways to reduce the unemployment rate of veterans.
And in summary, veterans need organized help with writing
their resumes, finding jobs in military friendly businesses,
and encouragement to get their college degrees. They need
caring and mentoring professionals from the community to come
alongside them to keep them focused on professional growth.
Last, but not least, they need caring members of the community
who are looking out for them.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
[The prepared statement of Colonel Tabler appears on p.
49.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you. At this time I typically limit
members on the Committee five minutes, but since it's just the
two of us and we're in charge, we're going to go ahead and
extend our question and answer time, especially due to the size
of the panel. And politicians typically do need a limit, but
we're going to waive that today because I think there's some
important information here.
But I'd like to start with Mayor Handshoe. The Uniformed
Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act, known as
USERRA, prohibits employers from refusing to hire or rehire
someone because of their military status. Just like your
husband's experience, would you feel that his rights were
violated and was there any consideration of pursuing those
rights under USERRA, which is a difficult position to be in?
Ms. Handshoe. We did talk about that. I do feel they were
violated because, as I indicated to him, you can't ask a person
their marital status or if they have children. He felt that
would black mark being in a small community, looking for
another teaching position from other corporations in our
community. And you know how small Kendallville is, and that's a
strong possibility, so that's why we didn't pursue it.
Mr. Stutzman. As you work with businesses in Kendallville
in your community, and I know you as a veteran are a strong
advocate for veterans in employment, do you find employers in
Kendallville and the businesses that you communicate with, are
they aware of the incentives that are currently available for
hiring veterans and is there any emphasis from a lot of the
businesses you talk with regarding hiring veterans.
Ms. Handshoe. I think the larger corporations do, and I did
mention two of them. And I think that is a culture within that
corporation that does that. I think it would be helpful if we
did do some sort of, as the other gentlemen spoke of, some sort
of a hiring--if we could collaborate as a region, not just have
Fort Wayne or Kosciusko, but if we did it as a region to talk
about hiring veterans and heroes.
Mr. Stutzman. Because that's one of the things I've found
over these discussions. And me being a small business owner,
before being a Member of Congress, I was not aware of those
incentives available. It seems that the larger companies do
have a program. I just visited UPS this morning, and they have
a program. I visited the GM plant yesterday. They have a
program and, actually, have a fantastic wall there in the main
lobby recognizing their veterans. But I think for a lot of the
smaller businesses--and I know the challenges they have--
they're trying to stay above water. They're trying to survive
in a difficult economy. That's not something that's at the
forefront.
And I think, maybe, Mr. Landram, you might have some
comments regarding that, as well, and how can we communicate
that better to small business owners because small businesses
make up a large portion of those who are hiring.
Mr. Landram. Yes, that's very correct, Congressman. I know
that 86 percent of our members employ 50 or less employees. And
I know that Fort Wayne, Northeast Indiana, also mirror that's
same statistic. So the large companies are going to have in-
house H.R. professionals like Mr. Norris next to me that are
going to be very well aware of that. But the small business
owner, you know, is trying to get the doors open on time every
day and is trying to get the product out the door, and has a
lot of balls in the air they're juggling. So ways to keep
disseminating that and re-reminding people, whether it's
outreach done from the various military support, you know, and
other employment supportive type of services, you know, mini
campaigns, if you will, will be helpful to keep that in front.
Mr. Stutzman. Mr. Landram, you mentioned a bill that State
Representative Tom Dermody has filed in the state legislature.
Could you talk a little bit more about that and how that would
work, more of the details about that.
Mr. Landram. Yes, exactly. Well, in the last legislative
session, House Bill 1183 would have essentially provided a
price preference, you know, for a veteran owned business to be
able to compete. You know, in Indiana you've got minority and
women-owned businesses that have a higher price preference, and
it does put a veteran-owned business, if you will, at a
disadvantage. And I admit having many conversations. Mr. Hogan,
as an example, explained that he just would opt not to bid on
certain projects because he knew, in the end, you know, that he
wouldn't be considered under that case.
And he was quite voiceful about that situation, and we had
campaigned in the last session hard to, at least, get the
conversation started. The conditions weren't fertile to get the
bill passed. But I think through our efforts and the efforts of
others, a study summer session committee was formed. And we
were able to get Mr. Hogan placed on that commission to explore
that, and we're hopeful that we could get that advanced in the
next legislative session in 2012.
Which again, starting a business, you know, for a veteran
becomes another viable option in as much as gaining good high
quality employment.
Mr. Stutzman. And maybe just to segue off of that, then
I'll come back to Mr. Dobson, Mr. Straw, you are a small
business owner and a tough boss, it sounds like. Why did you
want to start a small business? And did any of the other men
and women that you served with in the military talk about
starting their own businesses? It's difficult because,
obviously, right now the economy is not great--I talk to a lot
of folks that say if I were trying to start a business today, I
wouldn't mess with it. But, when you have an idea and you have
a dream to do something, you set out to do it, and you set out
to accomplish that. Can you talk a little bit about that and
then also your experiences in hiring veterans and what you see
and hear.
Mr. Straw. Sure. First of all, as a small business, start-
up company, you're right, the thing you're focusing on is
making sure the doors stay open, for one. And when I hear what
Mr. Norris is saying about all the things that they have to
hire veterans, I'm envious, but just don't have the time or the
staff to dig that deep into it. When we have a position that's
open, it's not like we have a big forecast of when it's going
to be open. It's open until next Tuesday. Very quickly we need
to get candidates in, get them interviewed and get them hired.
And I would say as the reason for starting my business, my
goal, since I was probably 7 years old, was to fly airplanes,
so that was the ultimate dream, and went to college at Purdue
to study that. But then you get out of Purdue with all my
certificates to fly airplanes, of course nobody wants to ride
on a airplane with a pilot that doesn't have experience. That
was when I joined the military, was to do that, fly out of
Grissom. What was unique about that is I'm flying alongside the
guys, because we're a reserve base, these guys fly for United,
Delta, everywhere else during the week. They come fly at
Grissom on the weekends or one night a week. It gave me
perspective into the airline life before I actually got into
it. And I realized, as I was also starting a family, that might
not be the life for me, and so then I started looking at other
options. And once again, I have a very specialized skill that I
need to take to market. You know, luckily it was flying
airplanes, which was great, versus I loaded ordinance or
something like that. But it's a tough market, tough market.
Born and raised in Indiana, I wanted to stay here. Not a lot of
airlines based out of Northeast Indiana. And so I looked at
starting a business. Did that. We've been very successful, very
fortunate, very lucky, but it hasn't been easy along the way.
And when you're faced with I need the right candidate for
the position, I need the right person. Unfortunately, being a
veteran and a college degree, they're about the same. I really
need somebody who can do the specific job, don't have a lot of
time for training. We don't have some elaborate training
program, so I need somebody that can come in and start running
right away.
And like I said, it's sad, but it's like that. But as a
small business person, it's the truth.
Mr. Stutzman. And to follow up on that, do you know how
many veterans do you employ currently? And when you're doing
interviews, you have the ability to identify with veterans. And
as they are doing interviews, is there something that you
consistently see and say, as you interview a veteran, this is
going--if they were doing an interview--since they're doing an
interview with me and I am a veteran, and I understand where
they're coming from, if they were doing an interview with
someone who wasn't a veteran, this is going to turn that
particular person off? Is there something that you see,
particularly?
Mr. Straw. When I'm interviewing a veteran, I understand
where they're coming from. I know what is out there. As far as
how many veterans we have on staff right now, there's six, and
that's current. In previous years we had a gentleman that was
National Guard flew helicopters in Michigan at a guard unit out
there and that was right around September 11th, and so the
whole world changed as we know.
And we had to deal with that. You can't just give up as a
small business. This is my income, so we had to find ways to
work with him and work around it.
And I'm trying to remember your last question, I'm sorry.
Mr. Stutzman. As far as, Mr. Norris mentioned resume
building and we heard that out in Iowa as well. Do you see
things that come in on resumes that you would say, you know
what, if I were filling out your resume, I would give you this
sort of advice? Do you see that typically on resumes, as a
hiring employer, because, as they put their resumes together,
is there something that we can do in that transition to help
them put resumes together better.
Mr. Straw. Yes. I think Colonel Tabler elaborated on that a
little bit, when you right write a resume don't just say, I was
part of this unit. That doesn't mean anything to most people,
tell the skills that you learned, which might be the technical
skill, but also elaborate on the teamwork and things that you
do within your unit. Show me those transferable skills because
that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Great that you're
in this unit or did this. What's it going to do for me.
I hate to sound me-centered but, when you're hiring
somebody, that's what you're doing, you're trying to fill a
position. I need a candidate that best matches that position,
so having somebody help a veteran write a resume. And nowadays
you can't just have a generic resume. They've got to be very
tailored for what job you're looking for.
Generic resume, for a small business guy, isn't going to do
it.
Mr. Stutzman. Mr. Dobson, you had mentioned that 30
companies responded to your survey, and you mentioned that one
of the major challenges is that businesses do not know where to
find available veterans in your testimony. Your 9 members, are
they aware of DVOPS, which is Disabled Veteran Outreach Program
Specialist, and LVERS, Local Veteran Employment
Representatives? Members of your chamber, are they aware of
them, and do they have any interaction with those particular
entities?
Mr. Dobson. Great question. Thank you. The larger
companies, Fortune 500's, such as Biomet, Zimmer, or DePuy,
yes, they would know that. They have the H.R. staff,
professional staff. The disconnect kind of follows along Mr.
Landram's testimony; that is, about the same number, about 83
percent of our members employ 50 or less. They don't have a
specialized H.R. department. They aren't aware of that. That's
where I believe, and thank you for asking the question, because
that's where I believe a chamber of commerce can become a
resource. If we can connect with those same folks, we can get
that word out to our members. We serve our members by providing
information to them, one of the things we do, by providing
information. And if we could do that, I think we can strengthen
or we can help in the process. There'll still be some
challenges in communication, but we hope we can bridge that
gap. I know all of us would want to be able to do that.
Mr. Stutzman. Do you have any suggestions or ideas how the
state employment services could communicate better through
DVOPS, through LVERS, through their tools that they have,
whether it's to chambers or to small businesses.
Mr. Dobson. You know, small businesses are challenged. Mr.
Straw has spoken to it well. I used to run one of those myself.
Trying to keep the door open, trying to stay on top of things,
and you use your trade association or your local chamber as
your reference source. There are great trade associations
throughout the State of Indiana that can help bridge that gap.
Local chambers, the state chamber can help bridge the gap. I
would, you know, suggest those folks be in contact with the
various trade associations and various chambers and educate us
on what they do and how we can help, and then let us start to
communicate to our members because our members will respond to
that type of information. They'll be very excited to get it.
Mr. Stutzman. Colonel Tabler, you mentioned several things
that made your transition from the military easy. Any
suggestions on the transition assistance program, to improve
it.
Colonel Tabler. The transition assistance program actually
they have with the military, I think it's on track, but,
unfortunately, it's rushed. It's quick, and you'll just get
kind of like an opportunity to work a resume at one time, but
you really haven't thought through what you really want to do
when you get out of the military. I think in the military
transition itself, I think it was fine.
I think the issue was when you get to the community. You
just don't know what to do at that point. You know, soldiers
are accustomed to showing up in formation, spending time with
their non-commissioned officers, giving guidance, giving
direction, somebody right there with them to mentor them. So I
think it's when they get to their community, that's when
they're just really lost. I know when I got to Fort Wayne I was
fortunate because I went to work with ITT. I already knew a lot
of those guys there because we had worked together on active
duty.
But the problem is when they show up at their home towns,
they just don't know where to turn. They just don't know what
to do. They don't know how to tailor those resumes to make sure
that they're talking about the skills that are transferable
into the civilian sector. I know, when I got to Fort Wayne, I
really wasn't pointed to any type of veteran's office, per se.
It was just the other veterans that I worked around that came
alongside me.
So I think in the military, it's fine, but that just gets
you started. Once you hit the civilian community, you still
need some type of mentoring and help.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Braley, I yield to you for questions.
Mr. Braley. Let's follow up on that, Lieutenant Colonel
Tabler, because after 9/11 one of the biggest problems that was
identified was this problem of interoperability, the inability
of various response agencies to communicate with each other.
Colonel Tabler. Right.
Mr. Braley. On our Subcommittee we hear over and over and
over again one of the biggest obstacles for veterans
transitioning to the civilian workforce is that they come out
of a world of acronyms, which can be a huge asset to you if
you're looking for work in the defense industry, which lives
and dies with those acronyms.
Colonel Tabler. Right.
Mr. Braley. But if you're working for an employer who
doesn't have that same culture, it can actually be an obstacle
to you in getting employment. And I mentioned in Waterloo, what
we need is a Rosetta Stone program for transitioning veterans
to understand how to use those same job skills and language in
a much different workplace, and I don't see that coming anytime
soon.
But you made a comment about how job aptitude coming out of
the military is rarely assessed the same way it is going in.
When I was in high school a hundred years ago, we took the
armed services vocational aptitude battery test. It was
mandatory for every high school boy. And it was designed to
assess your aptitude for military occupations.
But it seems to me we don't do anything. When you're coming
off of active duty or returning from your guard and reserve
unit, we don't do anything to assess what your aptitudes are
for civilian employment. And it seems to me that may be an area
where we can start to focus on helping veterans understand
more. Many times they may have been deployed for extended
periods, they've been working in the military for a long time
and, all of a sudden, their career goals have changed
dramatically from when they went in.
So what's your suggestions on how we deal with that?
Colonel Tabler. Well, what would I say is, first of all,
there has to be a way of some office, some organization
translating those military skills that they have and the
language that the civilian sector understands. And I don't
know, maybe it's one of the veteran's offices in the Fort Wayne
community. But just somebody has to sit down and I guess really
do that work to say, okay, you've got leadership skills. You've
got certain technical skills.
You've got skills that are great for training other
individuals. You've got logistic skills. There's just a whole
myriad of things that those soldiers do in the course of their
everyday activities. It could be as simple as coming up with a
matrix and then, as they see certain jobs that are open, you
know, helping them to write resumes that are tailored to those
jobs. But there's going to have to be somebody who comes
alongside those soldiers when they get back to the community.
That's probably one of the veterans affairs offices that should
be their first stop, that hands them maybe a little cheater
booklet or something that just really coaches and mentors them.
Somebody's got to be there in the community, and they have to
know that that individual is there, so they can go looking for
them. I didn't know of anyone, per se. Now, if I would have
Googled the Internet, I would found folks in the Fort Wayne
area who could have potentially helped me. But like I said, for
myself it was those vets that I worked with on active duty that
I went to work with at ITT, so it made it real easy for me.
Younger vets don't have any of those types of things available
to them.
So there has to be identified a location in cities or towns
that those vets know, hey, when you get to such and such a
town, go see this person, and then that person needs to be
equipped with some materials, some ideas to just help and coach
and mentor that young man or woman.
Mr. Braley. Thank you. Mayor Handshoe, Semper Fi. One of
the things that you testified about went directly back to what
Mr. Straw said. Because I think a lot of us were shocked by the
comment that your husband heard during that interview. Yet,
that is the reality of small business owners in terms of how
they're thinking about filling any job position. And it strikes
me, we have an enormous educational challenge ahead of us
because, as someone whose wife teaches, my mother's 82 years
old, she's still substitute teaching in my home town, I have
tremendous respect for the role that teachers play in educating
the next generation of Americans.
And education isn't just something that happens in a
classroom. And if your husband had gotten that job and been
deployed, the students he was teaching would have had an
enormous opportunity to learn about sacrifice and thinking of
someone other than yourself when you're called to a duty. So I
feel badly that we missed that opportunity by him failing to
get that job.
Ms. Handshoe. Ironically, the high school had him speak for
Veterans Day before he left, and all of the students that
attended that have hit him on Facebook communicated with him
since he's deployed on Facebook and how much they miss him,
thank him for his speech so it's kind of ironic.
Mr. Braley. And one of the other things you identified was
economic incentives to employers to give them that extra
incentive to hire veterans. One of the things that I've done is
introduced a bill called Combat Veterans Back to Work Act which
is modeled on an existing incentive that was in place in 2010
that gave employers across the country incentive to hire
unemployed workers, generally. By giving them a break on the
employer's share of FICA, for hiring an unemployed veteran, and
then giving them an additional tax incentive if they keep them
on the payroll for a year, is that the type of program that you
think might be beneficial to hire more unemployed veterans?
Ms. Handshoe. I do. Because communities have a toolbox of
incentives that they give to a new business starting, tax
abatements, whatnot. But to be able to further that with
employees, either be it through the state or Federal
Government, would just be a plus.
Mr. Braley. Right. Mr. Norris, at our hearing in Waterloo,
we had three of Iowa's largest employers. One of whom I'm sure
you've heard of, Rockwell Collins, which is in the same
avionics industry as BAE. And we had John Deere and Principal
Financial Group. And one of the things we know is that
employers in the defense industry, like your company, have a
level of sophistication about hiring veterans that some other
businesses, particularly small businesses, don't. So what
lessons can you share with us, based on BAE's experience, that
could be helpful in mentoring other businesses who lack that
sophistication.
Mr. Norris. It's a great question. I don't have a lot of
visibility into some of the corporate activities that go on in
some of the areas you're talking about, but certainly, I am a
beneficiary of some of the things like the Wounded Warrior
Integration Program I talked about. I think we clearly
recognize what these men and women bring to our business and I
think it's--I can appreciate what Mr. Straw has said, the
difficulty with the small business because with a thousand
employees it's little bit easier for us to cover when someone's
not there. I do appreciate that.
But I think that it's very important. I want to kind of
walk back to one thing I mentioned in my presentation about the
out placement service. We talked about resume building. That's
one very small piece. I've probably personally done about 500
interviews in the last 5 years of people coming in. It's really
more about the experiences and the interviews. Yes, the
resume's important to get your name out there, but it's really
more important, I think, with some of the out placement
services, in terms of coaching for interviewing, helping people
realize what they bring when they sit down in an interview, and
helping them to express that to a team or the person they are
talking to across the table.
So I think that's one of the things that we have an
advantage, that we can go to out placement companies to help
with our own employees when we have to go through reductions in
force. But I certainly see that as a possibility for veterans,
as well, to have a service that's more around counseling, not
just around resume building.
The other thing I thought was interesting, when I talked to
Bruce, the individual veteran that I just mentioned that we
just hired. He networked through his executive officer. He
found out about us through that executive officer. So, perhaps,
there's more that we can do in terms of networking with current
vets that are out there in the workplace. You know, having them
work with those individuals coming in. I think Lieutenant
Colonel Tabler had mentioned this. I think that's a great way
to look at how can we do better with the network of current
veterans that are in our businesses today, have them act as
mentors and helpers and focusing these people in the right
direction so they can get these great jobs. So we would
certainly, as a business, love to see some help in that regard,
as well, just connect those people with us.
Mr. Braley. Let me transition that comment to you, Mr.
Straw, because I used to be Chair of the Small Business
Contracting and Technology Subcommittee and we worked a lot to
try to expand awareness of contracting opportunities with the
Federal Government because 90 percent of those contracts are
issued to firms inside the beltway around Washington, D.C., and
90 percent of them go to larger companies. And one of our
biggest challenges is to try to help small businesses be more
competitive through that process. A lot of assistance comes
through groups like SCORE, Service Corps of Retired Executives.
What I'm hearing here is we almost need a service corps of
retired veterans who can help mentor other people, business
owners, people wanting to start a small business, and share
experiences of making this transition and doing it
successfully.
Mr. Straw. I agree. And I was also thinking, when Mr.
Dobson was talking, how do you reach out to businesses, how do
you educate them? Some of the benefits you mentioned I've never
even heard of. So how do you do that? Do you go door to door? I
think he's right, you go through the local chamber. Small
businesses are typically active in their local chamber because
they see it as a marketing tool.
They're eager to get anything they can get from them. And
if it's something like that that can help give me a competitive
advantage of some kind, I'm all for it.
Mr. Braley. Well, and I'm glad you mentioned that because
there's so many small businesses that fail because of lack of
understanding of the world that they're entering. And when you
have tremendous resources like we have available online through
all of these agencies and programs, to help you learn how to do
a good business plan, how to do a financial plan, how to go
find mentors who can look over your shoulder. It seems to me we
need to do a better job of helping business owners identify
resources to help them fulfill the mission that brings us all
here today.
Mr. Straw. Absolutely, absolutely. That's the key, getting
the business owners, the people doing the hiring, educated
about what things they can have at their disposal to make that
process easier. And if it involves helping a veteran getting a
job, I think everybody would agree that would be a winner on
both sides.
Mr. Braley. I want to direct this last question to you, Mr.
Dobson, and to you, Mr. Landram, because you have similar
experiences. We've talked about how most veterans, when they
are separating, have these strengths going for them; they're
highly motivated, they have critical thinking skills, they have
experience with creative problem solving, and they have a
strong work ethic, and they have experience in teamwork. Now,
to most employers those sound like incredibly valuable assets.
Why is it, in your opinions, that we have such a problem
making this transition, with great potential employees, to
veterans in the workplace.
Mr. Dobson. That might be a loaded question. Do you want to
jump on board.
Mr. Landram. I'll jump on that one first. Well, I think the
Lieutenant Colonel here intimated to it earlier. I mean, the
business as a workplace is changing very rapidly as we all
know. And, you know, if you just take a look at what does a
career really consist of and provide for an individual, if you
just take $40,000 a year, and you're going to work 30 years,
and do the math, you know, you're putting a nose bed on
yourself of $1.2 million, is what that means. And it goes back
to the career preparation. You know, what you mentioned
earlier, Congressman, those are all great skill sets. You know,
people in general, you know, veterans included, have difficulty
translating that to an employer, you know. And people need to
be prepped and given those, quote, how-tos. How do I articulate
that to an employer; how do I take these credentials on my
resume, these experiences and translate them into a skill
conversation that says here's where I am the value added? I
mean, no one will argue what military does for self-discipline,
initiative, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, integrity,
honesty. Nobody will argue that with somebody who has served
our country. The point is those are all high corporate values,
business values. People just simply need help when they are re-
entering the workforce in being able to do that, not just on
their resume, but how do they do that face-to-face with an
employer? And I would advocate and support what you're on to. I
think that's very good.
Mr. Dobson. Thank you, Mike. Great comments, and I agree
entirely with what he said. That's why I think I testified--or
I know I testified that I think, arguably, a former military
has a better base for work. These are all desirable qualities,
so I think the disconnect then becomes matching the skills to
the industries in the community. And the Work One office shared
that one of the challenges is quite often, and rightfully so, a
veteran wants to return to the home town community and,
perhaps, the home town community job market does not match
those skill sets. And so we need to counsel to help, perhaps,
with some additional training to leverage those skills.
If you were to return to Kosciusko County, Mr. Straw's
experience in aviation would be similar to ours. We're not the
aeronautical capital of the world, but we can certainly use
some advanced machinists. There's a critical need for that in
Kosciusko County. There's a critical need for advantaged
agricultural folks. And if these folks who are counseling, as
the Lieutenant Colonel talked about, these veteran affairs
offices were engaging with folks that have this industry
knowledge, we might be able to guide them a little bit better
and help them use either the GI Bill that they opt to use once
they're done or help them connect with a local Ivy Tech, so
they can take those high quality skills learned in the military
and convert them and use them in the industry.
It wouldn't make a lot of sense to come back to Kosciusko
County and think, I'm going to be become a pilot and I'm going
to be able to fly for a major airline. But transportation and
logistics are important to us, and there's probably some way
that we can turn those skills around and use them in our
community. And we want to be that source. We want to be able to
help. So thank you for a very good question.
Mr. Braley. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you. That concludes this panel. I think
one thing I think we can recognize is that all of these
witnesses have shown the importance of education and
information to the veterans and also the importance of using
the GI Bill's education and training benefits, and specifically
there is some counseling offered in Chapter 36 of that.
And, Mr. Norris, I appreciate your testimony. You touched
on some great points and gave some ideas on communicating those
needs that we have.
So I want to say thank you to each and every one of you. At
this time you're excused, and we will call up the second panel.
Okay. The second panel is going to consist of Mr. Mark
Everson of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Mr.
Gary Tyler of the Veterans Employment and Training Service, and
Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Thomas of the Indiana National Guard.
Thank you to each of you gentlemen for being here today, and we
will look forward to each of your testimony. And I believe
we'll start with Mr. Everson. You'll all be recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. Everson, you're recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENTS OF MARK W. EVERSON, COMMISSIONER, INDIANA DEPARTMENT
OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, INDIANAPOLIS, IN; GARY TYLER, INDIANA
STATE DIRECTOR, VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR; AND LTC MARCUS THOMAS, INDIANA NATIONAL
GUARD
STATEMENT OF MARK W. EVERSON
Mr. Everson. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Braley, thank you
for the opportunity to testify. The Department of Workforce
Development manages all state unemployment insurance programs,
as well as Federal workforce training programs in Indiana. As
such we operate 90 one-stops, as they're commonly called, or
here in Indiana Work One centers across the state. Service to
veterans is an employment element of both these programs.
Indiana's labor force is approximately 3.1 million, down from
just over 3.2 million in the summer of 2007. The state's
unemployment rate peaked in June 2009 at 10.9 percent. Since
that time the unemployment rate has fallen to just below 9
percent.
In January 2010 over 271,000 Hoosiers collected
unemployment insurance benefits from either the state or the
Federal Government. Since that date, the number of Hoosiers
collecting benefits has declined to approximately 115,000 at
present. So things are better, but there is still a high level
of unemployment which is, of course, a concern to us all.
The 2010 American Communities Survey, or the ACS, conducted
by the Census Bureau, estimates that Indiana is home to
approximately 469,600 veterans or nearly 10 percent of the
adult population. However, almost 200,000 Indiana veterans are
over 65, and generally not in the workforce.
Veterans age 18 to 65 total approximately 276,000.
According to the ACS the 2010 unemployment rate among Indiana's
veterans was 12.4 percent, compared with the total state
unemployment rate of 10.7 percent during the same period.
Additionally, ACS indicates the education level of Indiana's
veterans tends to be higher than that of civilians with the
exception of those that have obtained a Bachelor's Degree or
higher.
Indiana is committed to providing quality employment
services to veterans at its Work One centers. Veterans receive
priority service, and most of the centers have an on-site
veteran specialist to assist with the employment needs. DWD
currently receives funding to employ 62 veteran employment and
training staff throughout Indiana. 34 of these positions are
the LVERS, mentioned by the chairman already, and 28 of these
are the DVOPS. All of the LVERS are required to be veterans.
And the DVOPS must be veterans with a service-connected
disability.
For all training programs overseen and managed by DWD,
eligible veterans are provided with priority service.
Additionally, DWD ensures that veterans are provided with
priority service in the job-matching program, meaning in our
online web tool, veterans see the postings 24 hours before
anybody else gets to see them.
DWD believes that there are four primary challenges
veterans encounter regarding employment opportunities. First,
veterans have oftentimes been employed in industries among the
hardest hit by the economic recession. According to a report
issued by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee in May of
2011, Post-9/11 veterans are more likely than non-veterans to
have been employed in manufacturing, construction,
transportation, and other industries that experienced
significant job losses during 2008 and 2009.
We agree with this finding. Veterans continue to struggle
with securing gainful employment, especially in the
manufacturing sector, which in Indiana is down 18 percent from
its peak employment in 2007. While veterans from the Guard or
Reserve receive statutory protection to retain pre-deployment
position on upon completion of their deployment, as has already
been mentioned, if an employer's workforce has been downsized
due to layoffs, the returning veteran may not always find a job
opening upon return.
The second challenge deals with the skills veterans
developed while serving in the military and their ability to
translate those skills into private sector employment. We have
found that some of the skills veterans develop do not always
directly correlate to certifications and credentials often
required for private employment. For example, a veteran may
have operated heavy equipment and vehicles during his or her
service, but does not hold a commercial driver's license that
is often a requirement for operating heavy transportation
vehicles in private-sector employment.
Additionally, DWD has found that many veterans experience
difficulty expressing what specific skills they acquired
throughout their service and how these skills transfer to the
requirements of private sector job openings. Many veterans are
modest about their service and particularly the skills and
aptitudes they developed while serving. Although a veteran may
have developed and utilized essential job skills, his or her
inability to relate those skills to the requirements of a job
opening, can lead a hiring manager to not fully appreciate the
skills the veteran has to offer.
Third while a veteran is deployed overseas, a number of
facets in his or her home life may have changed. Some of these
changes can include the birth of a child, the loss of a family
member, or even the dissolution of a marriage. In addition,
returning veterans may need to locate a place to live,
establish bank accounts, locate transportation, and complete
many other daily activities for which they may not have been
responsible during their period of service. These factors often
complicate the job search process which may be given less
initial priority by the returning veteran.
Finally, there are an increasing number of veterans
returning home with some form of physical or mental disability.
With advances in medical care, as you well know, fatalities
have declined, but an increasing percentage of veterans return
home with a physical disability potentially limiting future
employment opportunities.
In addition, there are incidences of mental health issues,
including post-traumatic stress disorder among the veteran
population returning from abroad. In our experience Indiana
employers have displayed a great willingness to provide
employment opportunities to veterans who have served the United
States. However, some employers may be somewhat cautious in
hiring veterans due to concerns about how PTSD or other mental
health issues may affect performance in the workplace. Thank
you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Everson appears on p. 51.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Tyler, you're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF GARY TYLER
Mr. Tyler. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Braley. Thank you very much for this opportunity to testify
before the Committee about the work we are doing at the
Department of Labor to address the important issue of
decreasing unemployment for veterans, National Guard, and
reservists. We also appreciate the opportunity to discuss the
work we are doing in Indiana. With nearly 500,000 veterans in
the state it is critical that we provide them with services and
support they need to find and obtain good jobs.
Again, my name is a Gary Tyler. I'm the State Director for
the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training
Service in Indianapolis. I am dedicated to helping our veterans
and returning servicemembers achieve the goal. I am accompanied
today in the audience by Heather Higgins, my regional
administrator from the ten-state Chicago regional office. I
would like to let you know that I am a Vietnam veteran having
served with the famous fighting 4th Infantry Division of the
United States Army.
The 2010 unemployment rate among Indiana veterans in our
data was 9.0 percent compared to the total state unemployment
rate of 10.2 percent for the same time period. That differs a
little bit from what the commissioner just stated. It depends,
frankly, on the cohorts used in measuring at that point in
time. I think the bottom line is that the unemployment rate of
veterans is higher than the general population. And the
unemployment rate of veterans between the ages of 18 to 24 is
particularly high.
VETS proudly serves veterans and transitioning
servicemembers by providing resources and expertise to assist
and prepare them for obtaining meaningful careers, maximize
their employment opportunities, and protect their employment
rights. We do this through a variety of nationwide programs
that are an integral part of Secretary Solis's vision of good
jobs for everyone.
I would like to begin by briefly discussing some of the
programs, along with other initiatives that assist America's
veterans in getting to or back to work and then focus
specifically on information that you requested in your
invitation.
Our principal program is the Jobs for Veterans State Grant
Program. The Jobs for Veterans State Grant Program is the
principal program that funds the DVOPS and LVERS that have been
referenced today already. Last year the Jobs for Veterans
Program provided services to nearly 589,000 veterans, and 201
veterans found jobs. The program in our state is operated by
the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
We also have in our department, Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Program. Not every state has a Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Program, but we do have one in Indiana, operated
mainly in the Indianapolis, Marion County area to meet the
needs of these homeless veterans and help integrate them into
the workforce. VETS administers this program. In the program
year 2009 over 14,000 homeless veterans participated in the
program through 96 grants, and 8,470 were placed into
employment. Data for program year 2010 is not yet available as
figures for the fourth quarter are still being verified.
Another program that we have is the Veteran Workforce
Investment Program which is not operated in each state, but we
do have one in the State of Indiana and operated through the
Indiana Department of Workforce Development and provides
veteran's services throughout the State of Indiana under this
program. In fiscal year 2009 the Veterans Workforce Investment
Program was focused to provide training and employment services
in green energy occupations as envisioned in the Green Jobs Act
of 2007. Nationwide there are currently 22 grants serving over
4,000 veterans in fiscal year 2011. In Indiana training and
placement services have been provided to approximately 3,000
veterans statewide through the program since 2002.
We also participate in transition assistant programs with
active military bases, as well as with the guard and reserve
members to the extent that we can at Camp Attebury in Southern
Indiana. Our primary program for assisting individuals with
their transitions from military to civilian workforce is the
transition assistance program. VETS provides an employment
workshop that is a comprehensive, two-and-a-half-day program
during which participants are provided relevant skills and
information such as job search techniques, career decision-
making processes, and current labor market conditions.
As you know, VETS is currently in the process of
redesigning and transforming the transition assistance program
and employment workshop. We are creating experiential,
effective, and enduring solutions for successful transition
from military to civilian life and employment. A new TAP will
be based on established best practices and career transition.
Last year nearly 130,000 transitioning servicemembers and
spouses attended the TAP employment workshop given at one of
270 locations world-wide.
Another endeavor that we've participated in and we're proud
of is our connection with the employer community, employer
partnerships. VETS is also implementing a new approach to
employer outreach which involves pilot programs in partnerships
with the private sector including, as mentioned earlier, the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Society for Human Resource
Management. We do that here in Indiana through the state SHRM,
Northeast SHRM, and through various chambers throughout the
state. The U.S. Chamber is also scheduled to partner with us
with the veterans workshop that we have with Operation Hire A
Hoosier Vet Career Fair, our 6th annual career fair that's
going to take place next April in Stout Field, Indiana.
Recognizing that we have the red light on at this point,
you have our written testimony and the data, and I appreciate
this opportunity.
Thank you, gentlemen.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Tyler appears on p. 55.]
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas, thank you for being here.
You're recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF LTC MARCUS THOMAS
Colonel Thomas. Good morning, Congressman Stutzman, Ranking
Member of the panel, also veterans who are here in the
audience, as well. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Thomas, the
State Family Programs Director for the Indiana National Guard.
I also have here with me the employment support for the
Guard Reserve, Mr. Doug Gibbons.
Well, in reference to the current economic conditions
within the State of Indiana, several Indiana National Guard
service soldiers and airmen have been impacted by higher under
employment and unemployment. The Indiana National Guard
partners with many organizations who stand ready to assist our
servicemembers in finding and maintaining quality jobs in
today's job market.
Couple facts I'm going to share, according to a recent
report from the Civilian Employment Index used by the National
Guard Bureau, over 20 percent of our Army National Guard is
unemployed across all states and territories.
Indiana Civilian Employment Index shows 12.6 percent;
however, we are 61 percent completed on the index with another
39 percent of soldiers yet to be loaded. The Indiana National
Guard Employment Coordination Program, of which we've stood up
out of Hyde, conducts multiple face-to-face assessments with
guard units, soldiers and commanders around the entire state
and tracks the unemployment percentage to be closer to 20
percent. Of note, this also includes the recent addition to our
high school graduates who are also entering the job market for
the very first time this year. We see some of the highest
unemployment rates in areas that are hit hardest economically
across the state. Places like Elkhart, South Bend, Gary and
those kind of areas. The 219th Battlefield Surveillance
Brigade, which is currently deployed to Iraq, have at least 25
percent of their force projected to return to an unemployment
situation. That's about 425 soldiers deployed. About 105 of
those have been projected to come back to an unemployment
situation.
Four of the five largest Army National Guard states have
the highest military unemployment rates or percentages in the
Nation those states include Texas, California, Pennsylvania,
Indiana, and North Carolina. The Indiana National Guard ranks
third overall, and we're the fourth largest guard state with
over 14,000 soldiers and airmen in our state. We stood up this
employment coordination program and since for the past two and
a half years, we have successfully placed over a thousand
servicemembers and spouses in jobs across the state. This
includes all branches of the military, not just the Army
National Guard and the Air National Guard, all servicemembers
within Indiana. We actively leverage the combination of
education and part-time job employment. We, actually, also
leveraged the power of encouraging servicemembers and their
families, spouses to maximize the use of the Post-9/11 GI Bill,
provide ongoing employment counseling and financial counseling,
as well. We have 112 employer partners with almost 400 active
jobs available that we're constantly pushing through our social
media outlets and our web portals to get servicemembers and
families access and make themselves available to apply for
those positions. We have actually assisted in over 2,100 resume
writing counseling sessions with our servicemembers across the
entire state, matching those specific unique skills that were
talked about in previous testimonies with the jobs that are
actually out there with our partners. And we provide constant
follow up with our community partners and employer partners to
make sure those jobs that have been availed to our veterans are
working out, to make sure that it's a best fit for both our
servicemembers and the employers. We coordinate across the
state with various types of community programs. The employer
support of the guard reserve is a strong partner of ours, as
well. Several vocational and vet centers across the state,
various types of apprenticeship programs are partners as well.
The Indiana Workforce Development office, we work very closely
with, as well. We conducted this last year over 20 job fairs
specifically for our military and their families, military
expos. The annual operation of Hire a Hoosier Veteran with over
a hundred employees that show up every year, 25 universities
and various veteran service organizations come and support
servicemen and their spouses and families who are interested in
finding a job.
And then finally, my boss, the Adjutant General R. Martin
Umbarger, Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, has taken
all these assets to establish this the Employment Coordination
Program out of Hyde. There is no additional dollars received
from the National Guard Bureau or other Federal funds to set up
a program to directly work with each individual servicemember
and their family with helping them to find a job. He
consistently encourages all employers to consider a veteran for
any open position especially the young men and woman who are
returning from deployment overseas. And in a recent comment,
business leaders across the state of Indiana know and praise
the value of employees with military experience. These
community leaders want to make sure that our men and women who
serve this great state and nation are cared for by partnering
up with the community to ensure that jobs are available for
those to apply.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Colonel Thomas appears on p.
??.] deg.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you very much to all of you for your
testimony. I'll begin with a couple of questions.
Mr. Everson, given the high level benefits that the current
GI Bill has, why do we see many of the younger veterans coming
back, needing employment assistance instead of attending
school? The benefits that the GI Bill offers are, I believe,
very good. Where is the disconnect there? Why do we not see
more utilizing it and to their full extent, as well?
Mr. Everson. I've not thought about that specific question,
but I would try and back up to the whole population. And I
wouldn't think it would be that different for veterans.
Frankly, when people come into our offices, and obviously the
veterans are an important but a small portion of those people,
they are extremely interested in a job and a job now. Training
and education by definition is it's extending out over a longer
period of time. And oftentimes the individual, he or she really
wants to get working right away. And what maybe they should do
is just what you suggested, they really should be getting more
training, but there's often a reluctance to do that, I would
say, because you want to get back and you want to get working.
And particularly these folks, they've been working as has
already been indicated.
Mr. Stutzman. And if I understand it correctly, do
businesses have the ability to it, obviously, has to be a joint
relationship between the serviceman to go to school and to
work. But is there any tools within the GI Bill that give them
the ability to go to school, and is there a benefit to an
employer to employ them while they're going to school at the
same time under the GI Bill.
Mr. Everson. I don't specifically know the answer to that
in terms of the GI Bill. The constraints, though, generally,
look, we've got a big manufacturing base here. A lot of this is
shift work. There are particular times that somebody comes on,
and that's true in lots of businesses. So there's an inherent
tension and conflict as was mentioned. I thought the first
panel, by the way, was excellent in terms of the range of
issues that were covered. Issues are different for big
businesses versus small businesses.
Small businesses you got ten employees. It's all hands on
deck all the time. And if somebody's off getting training even
afternoons or in the evening, it's tough to manage that. And
frankly, just the overall economic difficulties are really what
is making the most complex and the most daunting, I would
suggest to you.
Mr. Stutzman. And I think we see the same thing in the
civilian world, as well, with adult education.
Mr. Everson. Yes.
Mr. Stutzman. Transitions that we're seeing within our
economy, the global competition that we face. Things are moving
constantly. But we do want to utilize and make sure that our
men and women that are coming out of the military, I mean,
utilize those benefits in the GI Bill as much as possible.
Mr. Everson. We certainly point them in that direction if
that's appropriate. But again, each case has got a complicated
set of issues for the individual, the family. We talked about
the disabilities. Approximately, we think, about one in seven
of the veterans who come through to see us have a disability
and one-third of those have a serious disability. So all of
this sort of plays together. And if you want to lay training on
top of it, that can be a logistical challenge for the
individual.
Mr. Stutzman. Could you talk a little bit about the work
that's being done at Work One centers across the state. And,
obviously, you are providing education and training. But as far
as veterans coming into Work One facilities, can you kind of
walk us through what you see and hear.
Mr. Everson. Sure. I think that, again, we give the vets
priority which means, even when they just come in, if there's a
queue or in terms of, as I talked about, the job board that we
have. The dedicated resources that were mentioned earlier, and
then by Mr. Tyler, that's a great help because that's a
dedicated resource. That means that the individual is not in
competition, if you will, with other Work One personnel, so
they get the direct care and feeding of that individual.
The other thing that happens that I think makes this
program a model frankly is those individuals are all vets
themselves. They've got good contacts into the communities.
They know the voluntary agencies that are working in this
space, and they can make those referrals. They know the
network. So I think this is a pretty--when I compare this to
the average individual who has suffered a layoff, I think the
vets, because of this dedicated resource and the direct ties
that our folks have to the rest of the community and back into
the guard or into the veterans administration, all of that
works pretty well. The tough thing, though, as we said, is all
these complex challenges that these individuals face and,
again, the overall economy.
Mr. Stutzman. Mr. Tyler, one of the primary
responsibilities of DVOPS and LVERS is outreach into the
employment community and into businesses. Can you give us an
idea, there seems to be a disconnect between a lot of,
specifically, smaller businesses. But we heard from the first
panel, and we constantly hear this, that there seems to be a
lack of information and what is available. Can you tell us a
little bit about what are the DVOPS and LVERS doing to get that
information out to businesses, chambers, other entities.
Mr. Tyler. Yes, sir. And that question may also want to be
addressed by Commissioner Everson in that the structure of the
Indiana Department of Workforce system is such that the LVERS
in the Work One employment service system work and are members
of what are called business services or business solutions
teams, so that they are integrated as part of the overall
business services and employment outreach efforts on the part
of the individual one stop workforce centers throughout the
state.
And there is a concerted effort on the part of these LVERS
to go out and meet with the various chambers of commerce. They
engage in seminars with the chambers of commerce. We oftentimes
see human resource professionals who are representing their
companies come to those venues. We are oftentimes invited to
participate in those. And not only does it give us an
opportunity, as the Veterans Employment Training Service, to
bestow the virtues of a veteran, you know, the 10 reasons to
hire a veteran, but also affords us the opportunity to talk
about employer and company responsibilities and USERRA and re-
employment matters.
Mr. Stutzman. Mr. Everson, would you like to comment?
Mr. Everson. I guess one comment I was going to make sort
of gets at all this. There is a distinct difference between
large employers and small employers. 62 people, that's a fair
number of folks doing this work. It's dedicated, it's
effective, but it has its limits. You're not going to be
reaching out to somebody who's got 30 employees unless you have
a specific lead that says, geez, that fella's going to be great
with veterans. There's just too much traffic going through
there.
So I thought Mr. Dobson's comments were very interesting in
terms of working with the Chamber. We work very closely with
the Chamber at the state level. I think that's an opportunity
for more communication.
The other point I would make here that I think underlies
all of this were the comments by the mayor. And I think
Secretary Gates has made much the same comment in terms of the
disconnect between the Nation and the military at this stage of
our country's evolution. Because of the reasons that the
Lieutenant Colonel mentioned, we've got the fourth largest
guard. We have a high penetration of veterans, I think the
situation here, in terms of appreciation of the role of the
military is probably rather more positive than in many parts of
the country.
Nevertheless, that's a real challenge now with the war
fatigue and this disconnect between service by a few or some
and not participation by others. So that's another piece in
here that just makes this tougher in addition to all the
traffic we have with these busy offices.
Mr. Stutzman. What can you just tell us, in general, and
some specifics, if you can think of them, about the 3,000
unemployed Hoosier veterans, what they're dealing with, what
they're looking for, some of the experiences they have.
Mr. Everson. When I visited our offices, I think that they
do not stand out in terms of their approaches or their
problems. If somebody's unemployed, they're unemployed, and
they're all looking for the same thing. What the vets have, I
think, we sort of got to that at one point on the earlier
panel, what they've got, what you mentioned, Congressman,
they've got the great soft skills, was what we call them. As I
travel around meeting with employers across the state, sure
there's a technical skills gap that gets talked about again and
again here. That plays here. That does play because, as I
mentioned before, vets don't necessarily match up on the
technical skills exactly. You've got to bridge that gap. But I
think that we probably don't do enough to emphasize the soft
skills, the leadership skills, the desire to get to work on
time, to be a part of a team. They can take criticisms.
If you talk to major employers and smaller employers, as I
do, they'll tell you they have a lot of attrition. One of the
great challenges of this economy right now is, despite the high
rates of unemployment, we have many jobs that go unfilled
because employers have a great deal of difficulty finding
someone who has those life skills, those soft skills, that
motivation to do work, and sometimes to do pretty tough work in
some of the factories or other areas.
And I think the vets braid out very well in all those
areas. It's just a question of making the connections and then
selling them, if you will.
Mr. Stutzman. Lieutenant Colonel, final question: You
mentioned you had 20 job fairs. What kind of success have you
had with those? Could you elaborate a little bit more on those.
Colonel Thomas. My understanding is we're averaging about a
50 percent placement rate across the entire state. These are
very tough decisions that families have to make because these
jobs are all over the state. In some cases they require a
decision to pick up and move to where the job is. So through
counseling, through our on-staff joint family services support
professionals that counsel with these families and our
servicemen and women to make decisions, because sometimes it's
not just getting a job, but it often includes maybe picking up
and moving, as well. We're experiencing about a 50 percent
placement rate across the entire state.
I would say also, sir, that as we talk about veterans, I'm
here representing the National Guard even though we work with
all branches of the military in our state. Inside the veteran
population, the National Guard servicemen and women and the Air
National Guard, these are men and women who are from within the
community, started in the community, may have deployed, come
back to the community. All the skills deficit we talked about
veterans not having, many of our guardsmen have all of these
skills. They are teachers, and they are elected officials, and
they are firemen, and they have vast amounts of skills. And so
as I look at the veteran population, unemployment impact on our
veteran population, it impacts the National Guard soldier as
well, but the skill deficit, I wouldn't think that it's equally
distributed across because these are men and women, both
Reserve and reserve component, that started out in the
community, deployed, and may come back to the community as
professionals and as laborers, and what have you.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
Mr. Braley.
Mr. Braley. Lieutenant Colonel, let's follow up on that
conversation. I come from a state that has no military bases,
so most Iowan's contact with the sacrifices being made on our
behalf comes through the Iowa National Guard. And we've talked
a lot about the impact of combat deployments on the
employability of the Guard and Reserve, but I want to get a
little bit more specific.
And I don't know if I just have bad luck, but this has been
my fifth year in congress. When I was sworn in on January of
2007, the Iowa National Guard was part of the longest combat
deployment of any unit in Iraq. And in less than a month after
I was sworn, we had one of the worst ice storms in our state's
history that left 500,000 people without power and the Guard
was there.
Colonel Thomas. Yes, sir.
Mr. Braley. During the 2008, demobilization from Iraq,
welcome home ceremonies. We had the worst tornado in the United
States in my district and a week later the worst flooding in
our state's history, and the Guard was there.
In 2010, we have more severe flooding, and we have the
largest deployment of our Guard since World War II to
Afghanistan.
In 2011, we have all the demobilization and welcome home
ceremonies at the same time the Missouri River is in the
longest sustained flood in the history of this country, and the
Guard was there. So we know the concept of weekend warriors is
a myth in the way our current military engages the Guard and
Reserve.
How do those type of strains combined impact the ability of
somebody to keep a job when they're being called away all the
time or to get a job when they're employer is aware that all of
those things have been happening.
Colonel Thomas. I think that first recognizes or
underscores the value of the National Guard in your state and
in all states and territories. I would say that through
partnerships, like with the employment support of the Guard
Reserve, the ESGR program, we cannot sustain our National Guard
employment percentages from climbing even higher without those
types of solid partnerships. So if it wasn't for the great work
that the ESGR Program does with helping employers understand
that these are conditions outside of your employee's issue at
this point--and so it's through solid partnerships,
understanding, working, bridging strategies to ensure that the
servicemen and women, the Guardsmen can go and do it's job or
do his or her job and come back. It's through partnerships.
It's through partnerships.
And it's recognizing employers who are going the extra mile
also. And so as a commander, what I tell my soldiers often is I
need for you to help me recognize your employers for the great
job and sacrifice that they're also making on behalf of this
great state and our Nation. And so there are all kinds of
awards that we have, and opportunities we have to recognize
their sacrifice, as well. But it's a partnership effort.
Mr. Braley. Well, and I'm glad you brought that up because
I went down to Camp Shelby as part of the pre-deployment train
up with the Iowa National Guard before they went to
Afghanistan. And while I was there it was in the middle of a
Boss Lift program that brought a lot of Iowa employers that
were in ESGR down to observe their training to get a better
sense of what they were doing and the risk that they would be
taking while they were sent overseas.
In your experience do programs like that help educate
employers about the value and importance of hiring employees
who are going to be called up and missing from work?
Colonel Thomas. Absolutely, sir, absolutely. Without those
kind of programs, our employers know--I think on the first
panel there was discussion about employers not really knowing
how to even engage the military community, the veteran
community in this community. So when the guard reaches out to
its employer population and brings them into training
opportunities, Boss Lift opportunities, it's for the specific
purpose to educate these employers about what these servicemen
and women are going through. And without those kinds of
programs, it's hard for them to understand and appreciate. And
I think stronger relationships are built from those kinds of
programs and creativity to better support our vets. And it
allows certain types of organizations who decide to even
support even on greater level, maybe even financially to help a
servicemembers who's going through tough financial times to
give back to that effort, as well. So just as employers are
seeking to support their employee and the military, they're
also seeking in some cases to go a little bit extra because
they recognize the sacrifice, but we pull them in through those
kind of programs. It's very, very beneficial.
Mr. Braley. Mr. Everson, when my father came home from Iwo
Jima there was no diagnostic category known as post-traumatic
stress disorder. He died in 1980, and 11 years later I learned
for the first time that he saw one of his best friends
vaporized by a shell burst on Iwo Jima and suffered from what
we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder. And I know that
because he went through two severe bouts of depression when I
was in high school and college. And I can tell you the people
in my family know who came and struggled with us during that
period, and we know who didn't.
And you were good enough to raise the issue of PTSD as a
factor in the employability of many combat veterans, and it's
something we talk about a lot in Washington.
Mr. Everson. Right.
Mr. Braley. And I was at the hearing at Walter Reed when
General Shoomaker said, very publicly for the first time, PTSD
is real. And I thanked him because of my personal background.
Mr. Everson. Right.
Mr. Braley. But we still have a huge knowledge gap in this
country. There is still a huge stigma associated with a
diagnosis of PTSD.
Mr. Everson. Right.
Mr. Braley. And we have lot of veterans with what is called
mild traumatic brain injury, which sounds like it ain't that
bad, but can have profound impact on their ability to get and
hold a job.
Mr. Everson. Right.
Mr. Braley. So what should we be doing to help educate
potential employees who are veterans who may be suffering from
PTSD and TBI, and what should we be doing to help educate their
employers about the type of accommodations they may need and
they deserve because of the sacrifice they've made for us.
Mr. Everson. This is such a tough issue, and I'm not sure
that I have any easy answers, but we see it in our centers. And
if we have a vet who's coming in, he may choose to sit in the
back of the room to be participating in a training class. We
sensitize all of our people to signals or just making sure
they're not overly arbitrary as sometimes bureaucrats can be
and really work with the folks in a way that is sensitized,
let's say, to this issue. I just think that this is something
where the country is evolving and that we just--the reason I
put it in there is just, as you said, because I think it needs
discussion and prominence and education.
That's about all I can say, sir.
Mr. Braley. Well, thank you. One of the things you also
mentioned in your testimony was the impact in Indiana since
2007 manufacturing being down 18 percent.
Mr. Everson. Yes.
Mr. Braley. Well, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, in the last decade we have lost 54,000
manufacturers nationwide, manufacturers not employees. So when
I'm back in Waterloo, I'm privileged to have about half of John
Deere's world-wide production in my district. And a lot of my
veteran friends are people who worked in those factories coming
out of Vietnam, coming back from World War II and Korea.
Mr. Everson. Right.
Mr. Braley. Those opportunities don't exist the same way
that they used to, do they.
Mr. Everson. No, they don't. This gets a little out of my
lane, so I don't want to be brushed back by the Governor later
if I've said something that's out of my channel. But
nevertheless, in terms of economic policy, I think it's
absolutely essential that the country and the Congress
emphasize manufacturing because it creates jobs.
Mr. Braley. I agree with you.
Mr. Everson. I'm going to live in a home in Indianapolis.
I've got a condo. I can rent that. I can own that. They're not
moving where I live to China. But you can move a lot of those
manufacturing facilities to China, so we should be doing
everything we can to incent manufacturing and activities like
that that are good strong jobs through things like the R and D
credit. Recognition I would suggest to you, again, we talk here
about the differentiation between big and small employers.
Small employers have taken it particularly hard during this
recession emphasizing things that are of value to small
employers I think is of great importance as you both operate as
members beyond the jurisdiction of the veterans community.
Mr. Braley. Well, and the reason why that's important, I
agree a hundred percent with you, that when we talk about our
manufacturing policy in this country, we have to understand it
has a huge impact on veterans because many veterans work in
manufacturing facilities.
Mr. Everson. Absolutely.
Mr. Braley. And the other thing we forget is that there are
a lot of parts suppliers, small manufacturers around Waterloo,
Iowa that produce component parts for John Deere and also
produce component parts for the automotive industry and
Detroit, and those are small businesses, many of them, and so
this all tends to come back together.
Mr. Everson. Yes.
Mr. Braley. But the reason we're here today is not to talk
about a broader economic policy, but how these things combined
together impact the employability of veterans.
Mr. Everson. I agree with you a hundred percent; however,
you've got to fix the whole to fix this part. The veterans are
not going--you're just not going to construct something where
the veterans are going to get jobs, and nobody else is going to
get jobs.
Mr. Braley. Absolutely. And I don't think veterans are
asking for that.
Mr. Everson. And I'm not suggesting they are.
Mr. Braley. Mr. Tyler, I wanted to talk to you just briefly
about your Homeless Vets Reintegration Program. That's another
one of those things that we like to push off into the corner
and not think about because it makes us feel uncomfortable but
the reality is we have far too many homeless veterans in this
country. And one of the factors can be if you don't have a job,
it's hard to have a home. And a lot of times that's when
families break down, is because of the lack of economic
security. What's been your experience with that and how does
that relate to what we're talking about here today.
Mr. Tyler. Yes, homelessness is a national concern.
Many of the homeless individuals also have been, you know,
incarcerated. That's part of the problem, too. Finding
employers that are willing and ready to commit time and
resource to working, you know, with a homeless person or a
person who is educationally or economically, you know,
disadvantaged in that particular state is an issue.
We've worked quite closely with the Indiana Housing and
Community Development Authority on the state Homeless Planning
Commission. We've worked with the Indy Connect Annual Fair
which we bring together at the Indianapolis, Indiana Convention
Center with various groups and offer multiple services for a
homeless person. The concern for a homeless person, whether
they're a veteran or not, is of a comprehensive nature. You
know, they're dealing with probably a personal concern with
alcoholism, perhaps drug abuse. Oftentimes, they have lost
their driver's license. You know, they may have been suffering
for years, Vietnam veterans, with post-traumatic stress
disorder and not know it and have a problem getting to the VA,
no transportation. You know, they're separated from their
families. So it's important to avail multiple services, wrap-
around services for veterans or any individual in a homeless
situation, and to do as much as we can to prevent homelessness,
to catch and do what we can with, perhaps, financial
management, with some kind of economic assistance. You know,
when folks are borderline, they're not able to make their house
payments, to be able to intervene, as soon as possible, in
those kind of endeavors, also affording them with some type of
legal assistance, okay, that can overcome a particular barrier
that is posing as a challenge for them to really get a job.
Mr. Braley. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you. As Mr. Everson and Mr. Braley
started to talk economic policy I was about ready to loosen my
tie and order pizza. We could be here probably the rest of the
day.
Mr. Everson. I'm sorry, I apologize.
Mr. Stutzman. No, no, because it is all intertwined.
Mr. Everson. It is.
Mr. Stutzman. Specifically with veterans, the economy and
policies that we have broadly across the country do affect this
issue, very much so.
Mr. Tyler, I did have one question and I want to go back to
something that Mayor Handshoe said earlier, and she talked
about her husband's situation and how he was denied employment.
Mr. Tyler. Yes.
Mr. Stutzman. Would you see that as a violation of USERRA.
Mr. Tyler. Yes, yes. As it appears, yes.
Mr. Stutzman. What are you doing under the forces.
Mr. Tyler. What we're trying to do, we work quite closely--
of course, in Indiana we're fortunate to have a very close
relationship with the Employer Support for the Guard and
Reserve for the Indiana community. Servicemembers, particularly
those returning to their jobs, who believe they may have a
problem, you know, on the job or getting back to their position
that they left prior to deployment, you know, we encourage them
to touch base with the employment services for the guard and
reserve, to contact that employer toward arriving at a
resolution.
There's always education that is needed, you know, at some
level, at some level throughout, you know, the employer or the
company.
We try to avail ourselves to as many forums and
opportunities of chambers of commerce to talk about their
responsibilities under the law but to also, in so doing, let
them know that, as a Federal official myself, as an
investigator, a USERRA investigator, that we understand,
different from when I was in Vietnam, served 365 days and came
home, that today's servicemembers are deploying on multiple
occasions, and that is rough on, particularly, the smaller
industries. So in addition to, you know, trying to educate,
trying to participate in various forums in which we can talk
with the employers, we also want them to understand that, while
we recognize, you know, that they support, you know, protection
of our country, and that they will give time off, you know, to
their employees to participate in drills and to go off overseas
that, you know, we understand that it is a strain. They have
those responsibilities, but we want to be able to talk and
communicate. Oftentimes, as a regulator, it is difficult, you
know, for us to get before the employer community.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you. And I want to thank you as a panel
for being here today. I know you have a tough job, but we are
counting on you and all that you do. We want to thank you
though for your service, as well. This completes our hearing. I
just want to say to Indiana's veterans that the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs Chairman, Jeff Miller from Florida, has
challenged us and has a goal to reduce veteran employment to 5
percent or less. I know it's a tall order, but it's a goal I
think that is worthy and one that, hopefully, we can be
successful at and that we'll see better economic times for all
of us.
I want to also mention too last week our colleague who
serves on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Tim Walz from
Minnesota, had a bill that passed the House of Representatives
that finally recognizes the contributions of our Guard and our
Guard Reservist retirees as veterans. Who would have thought? I
didn't even realize that until he brought that forward, but I
think it's very well deserved and want to thank all our
veterans in every branch of the military.
And then, finally, I saw her here earlier, I don't know if
she's still here, but Tina Acosta was here a little bit ago,
and she is with Turnstone Center here in Fort Wayne. And she
testified in front of our committee.
Tina, there you are. Hi. Thanks for being here.
But she testified in our committee regarding the U.S.
Paralympic program and the work that they do at Turnstone, and
she shared a story of a special person who's here with us
today, I believe, Tim Leonard. And he is from Fort Wayne. And
he returned home without the use of his legs. But he has been
successful as an athlete and he has qualified for the Midwest
Valor games, and he is Indiana's one representative, I believe.
And so we are very proud to have him here with us today. Look
forward to shaking your hand.
Are you a shot putter?
Mr. Leonard. Just one question. I already went to the
Midwest games, I've already placed gold. It's the veterans
games next summer that I've just also qualified for.
Mr. Stutzman. Congratulations. Thank you. Are you a shot
putter.
Mr. Leonard. Shot putter and powerlifter.
Mr. Stutzman. I was going to say, that arm looks big.
Congratulations. We are very, very proud of you, and we wish
you the very best of success.
So with that, I want to thank Congressman Braley. I had a
great tenderloin in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I saw King Gyros had a
special on tenderloin, feel free to stop by there. Thank you
for being here. And do you have any closing comments?
Mr. Braley. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. It was an honor
for me to be here in Indiana today, and I'm going to say
something shocking. Chairman Stutzman and I are good friends.
He's a Republican. I'm a Democrat. When I found out I was going
to have the honor of working with him on this committee, the
first thing I said to him is what can I do to help you be
successful because, when it comes to serving our Nation's
veterans, there is nothing that should be more non-partisan
than helping our veterans in every way that we can, and that's
why I am so proud to serve with him. I like Marlin. I think he
likes me, and, you know, I think that you rarely see that on TV
these days. And it happens a lot more than you think. And I
think if we did more hearings like this and spent more time
outside Washington talking to real people whose lives are
impacted by the policies we set, we'd all be better off. And
I'm just very honored to be here with you today. So thank you.
Mr. Stutzman. I want to thank you, Mr. Braley, as well.
And I do like him. And I think that he and I both have an
understanding that the challenges that we face as Americans
aren't Republican problems or Democrat. They're American
problems, and we have to address them as Americans because the
rest of the world wants to have what we have, and that is they
also want to destroy our way of life. There are also those who
do want to destroy our way of life. We need to protect America
because we do live in the greatest nation.
I just want to say I ask unanimous consent that members
have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks. Hearing no objection, ordered.
Once again, thank you for coming. Thank you to each of you
on the panel for your testimony. Thank you again to our
veterans, and this concludes the Committee hearing.
[Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Hon. Marlin Stutzman, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Good morning. Usually when we hold hearings, we are sitting in
Washington. Today, I am delighted to be here in Fort Wayne. Northeast
Indiana is home to 48,000 veterans. These men and women have served our
Nation with honor, and it is my honor to serve as their voice in
Congress on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. In Chairing the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I have the opportunity on working
on veterans employment and education issues alongside the Ranking
Member of this Subcommittee, the Honorable Bruce Braley, who represents
Iowa's First Congressional District. Earlier this week he hosted me in
Waterloo, Iowa where we were able to hear from many Iowa veterans. I am
happy to introduce him to you today and welcome him to Fort Wayne.
Ft. Wayne has a long history beginning with settlements by Native
Americans in the area followed by a fort built by General Mad Anthony
Wayne in the 1790s. Since then, Ft. Wayne has played an important role
in Indiana's history and is known for its manufacturing, education,
insurance, health care, logistics, and defense and security. Ft. Wayne
has been named an All American City on three occasions, most recently
in 2009.
We are here today to hear from Hoosiers about the employment
difficulties facing far too many members of the Indiana National Guard,
the Reserves, and those returning from active duty. While the
unemployment rate for all Indiana veterans in September was 6.9
percent, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 35.6
percent of America's Gulf Era II veterans ages 20 to 24 were
unemployed, while 8.8 percent of Gulf Era II veterans ages 25-54 were
unemployed.
More shocking is anecdotal information that as much as 30 percent
of returning members of the Guard and Reserves do not come home to a
job. Clearly, we need to find ways to reduce all of those numbers. The
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs has taken a first step toward that
end last week by passing H.R. 2433, a bill that would provide up to a
year of GI Bill benefits to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35
and 60. The bill now goes to the Senate and we hope to get the bill to
the President by Veterans Day along with several other improvements to
veterans benefits.
I want to take a moment to explain that this meeting is a formal
hearing to be inserted into the official Congressional record. In
keeping with the standard protocol of official committee hearings, we
will not be taking questions from the audience during the hearing. I am
pleased so many of you are here today and I look forward to speaking to
you, answering questions, and listening to your comments and concerns
after the conclusion of this hearing in the main hallway.
Again, I am delighted to be with you today and I will now yield to
the gentleman whose office is next to mine, the distinguished Ranking
Member of the Subcommittee, my good friend, the Honorable Bruce Braley.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Member,
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
I would like to thank Chairman Stutzman for inviting us to the
great state of Indiana. Great to be in the Midwest where the genuine
people remind me of being back in my home state of Iowa. We are honored
to be able to hear firsthand the concerns of hard working Americans and
heroes who sacrifice so much for our country. We have a great list of
people providing testimony and I look forward to hearing from your
constituents and how we can help improve conditions for all our
Nation's veterans.
Today's field hearing will provide us the opportunity to review
existing programs that help veterans secure employment; discuss
recruiting and retention tools; and review barriers to employment.
I hope our panelists will provide insight into the shortfalls of
Federal and state programs while providing specific recommendations for
us to consider to help improve veteran employment. I know that we have
a poor economy but our veterans have acquired first rate skills that
should be highly sought after by employers. We need to help our
veterans translate their experiences and help employers understand the
value of these skills. Hiring veterans is a win for the employer
because they get a top notch employee with a strong sense of dedication
and a win for the community because it decreases veteran unemployment.
Let me be very clear, we have been and remain committed to getting
our Nation's veterans back to work. This is not a VA issue, or a local
issue, it is a national issue that demands our attention right now.
This is why we have come together in a bi-partisan manner and pledge to
work to address the employment needs of our Nation's veterans.
I want to thank everyone for being here today and I look forward to
hearing today's testimony.
Mr. Chairman, Thank you for having us here in Indiana and I yield
back.
Prepared Statement of Hon. W. Suzanne Handshoe, Mayor, Kendallville, IN
Congressman Stutzman,
Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss the very
important issue of Veterans employment.
I would like to share some of my own experiences both good and bad
and those of family members.
First, I am a retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer Four. When
I returned to Kendallville after Desert Storm the economy was weak and
jobs were not easy to find. I found a job as a temporary at Kraft foods
while I worked on my degree.
During the mid 1990's while an active Marine Corps Reservist and
Desert Storm Veteran, I applied for a position as a case worker with
the Department of Family and Children. During the interview process I
was asked if I had to attend any training that would require me to be
absent. I explained that I would be gone for a minimum of 2 weeks
training usually in the summer months and occasionally maybe longer to
attend educational requirements of my rank.
I was flatly told that it would be unfair to the other members of
the staff to pick up my case load for 2 weeks plus 2 weeks of vacation.
It just wouldn't be fair.
Needless to say I did not get the job.
The North East Indiana Special Education Cooperative hired me
because I was a Marine. The Executive Director was a former Marine and
felt I could handle any challenge he threw my way. When I was activated
in 2003 for Operation Enduring Freedom, as a Casualty Assistance
Officer, they held my position and were extremely supportive of not
only me but my family.
As Mayor, we have had a Councilman deploy twice in the past few
years to Afghanistan and Iraq. We supported him in any way we could
during his absence. We also had a Firefighter activated for duty in
Afghanistan. Obviously his position was held and welcomed him back to
our ranks upon his return. The City of Kendallville was recently
awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve ``Above and
Beyond Award'' for our support shown to our military members.
A great story of patriotism is my brother in law he is employed by
Graphic Packaging in Kendallville. He joined the Army due to the events
of September 11th and served for 5 years with 3 combat tours. When he
was Honorably Discharged, Graphic Packaging not only gave him his job
back, they gave him the 5 years seniority of his service time.
Shouldn't we be recognizing or rewarding companies who follow these
actions?
Last year my husband, Randy Handshoe interviewed for a teaching
position at a Middle School, the panel looked at his resume and
commented that he was in the Navy Reserve. He answered ``that is
correct''. One of the members then asked ``Does this mean you could be
deployed?'' He responded with ``yes, every person that wears a uniform
has this risk''. The next comment was, ``Where would that leave us''?
Needless to say he was not hired.
Randy did receive orders several months later and was called to
duty December 26th 2010 and is still serving as a Chief Petty Officer
with the Staff Judge Advocates office in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
What is troubling to me is that he will return at Christmas with no
job, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education.
I'm certain that I have other constituents that are having trouble
finding work, or worse, not being offered work because they are
reservists who have seen multiple deployments or the threat exists they
will be called to duty.
As the war continues it is no longer fashionable to support our
military members. Perhaps some consideration should be given to
incentivize companies through tax credits, who do hire Veterans.
Respectfully.
Prepared Statement of Mark A. Dobson, President, Warsaw-Kosciusko
County Chamber of Commerce, Warsaw, IN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The attached document reflects the information obtained by the
Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce in relation to Veteran's
Unemployment. Nearly 30 businesses and a local College contributed to
the information obtained. The consistent messages heard from businesses
regarding barriers to employing veterans were:
ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS CAUSED BY A SAGGING ECONOMY
LACK OF BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT WITH MILITARY
TRANSITIONAL TRAINING FOR VETERANS
There are rolls and responsibilities for all of us in resolving
this issue. Chambers of Commerce across the Country are an invaluable
resource to help solve the challenge. A higher level of engagement by
interested parties is needed to ensure that Veterans are seen as the
very valuable employment resource they are. The testimony given today
will outline a few steps we believe will help break down barriers for
our Country's brightest and best.
______
Good Morning. Congressman Stutzman & Honorable members in
attendance today--thank you for holding this Congressional Sub-
Committee hearing in Ft. Wayne. That you hold this hearing shows our
Veterans how much America values their service to our Country. I am
humbled and honored to be here to speak on this most important issue.
The issue of Veterans' Unemployment is one that distresses all of
us. Our Country's brightest and best have given of themselves so that
we may continue to enjoy the freedoms granted to us by our forefathers.
They have stepped forward and heeded the call to duty. For that we are
all grateful. And so now we are compelled to do all we can to ensure
Veterans take their rightful place in the private sector.
The dichotomy here is that Veterans desire no special treatment.
They do not wish to have opportunity handed to them. They, more than
any of us in the room, understand what America stands for. They will
carve a significant path in society. It is our duty to help break down
any barriers and help our Veterans transition to the private sector.
With these thoughts in mind I contacted businesses in Kosciusko
County to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers and challenges of
hiring Veterans. Input was received from nearly 30 businesses.
Additionally Grace College's Assistant Registrar/Veterans Services
Officer provided invaluable information that helped form the basis of
my testimony today.
The consistent feedback received from our Business Community is the
gratefulness for the Veterans military service. All expressed their
appreciation for our Veterans. Additionally, comments indicated that
many companies value the specialized training obtained in the military.
They value the discipline and level of responsibility that a former
serviceman displays on the job.
So, we dug deeper to understand why there is an unemployment issue.
I believe it breaks down into three main categories:
ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS CAUSED BY A SAGGING ECONOMY
LACK OF BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT WITH MILITARY
TRANSITIONAL TRAINING FOR VETERANS
The Economic Constraints are reflected by the state of our economy
today. Sustained unemployment continues to be near historical highs.
Additionally, the uncertainty of the economy has companies putting off
hiring decisions until there is a clear direction which way we are
headed. In a climate where unemployment averages over 9 percent, job
seekers see greater competition for any available opening. Arguably the
training received in the military is a competitive advantage. But that
advantage is diminished by the large number of people seeking the same
job.
The Private Sector's engagement with the military is an additional
challenge. Businesses do not have Knowledge of the availability of
Veterans. Or the contact points to know where to find available
Veterans. They don't know when a Vet will be available for employment.
When a deployment ends, or a Veteran retires, the private sector is
unaware of their availability. Or the notice comes after significant
hiring decisions have been completed.
Finally, another consistent comment was that while Veterans'
training is excellent, the transitional skills are not up to par. Quite
often Veterans need assistance with resume Development, Interviewing
Skills, & Transitional Job Training. Some military functions are easily
relatable to their civilian counterparts. It is easy to understand what
skills a Military Aircraft Mechanic might bring to the table. But some
Military duties are hard to translate to the private sector. If the job
description from the military has one ``blowing up stuff'', the private
sector employer may not understand how they can use those same skills.
So what can we do to help? The United States has transitional
programs available to their Veterans--but we can all do more:
I. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a wonderful program to help
transition Veterans to the private sector. However, how much more
effective would that program be if there was engagement with Community
Development entities. Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development
Agencies, WorkOne's and other entities charged with community
development are the best resources for understanding the job market in
a particular community. As an example, our Chamber maintains a jobs
database, has a partnership arrangement for assisting with placement of
trailing spouses, and routinely surveys the business community to
understand what skills are needed in the workforce. So, if one were to
characterize the needs in Kosciusko County, there is a strong need for
advanced production workers, skilled machinists, advanced welding, and
bio-engineers. We are the Orthopedic Capital of the World, home to the
largest screen manufacturer in the world, and are one of Indiana's most
productive agricultural regions. Think of what a useful resource we can
be for those who council Veterans on what skills they should train for
with their GI Bill for jobs in Kosciusko County. We recommend that
those engaged in transitioning Veterans become involved with entities
such as ours at a greater level.
II. Advance communications with entities such as the local
Chambers when deployments are ending--or there are significant numbers
of Veterans returning to our community. The sooner we can communicate
with our local businesses, the better prepared the business community
will be to assist with employment issues. I acknowledge this is a
challenge. The military doesn't want to divulge when troops will be
leaving a region. But businesses make large hiring decisions up to a
year in advance. Better lead times mean a better chance that businesses
will look to the pool of returning Vets as potential hires.
III. The U.S. Chamber has launched the Hiring Our Heroes
initiative. This initiative is a commitment by the U.S. Chamber & Local
Chambers throughout the Country to connect 100,000 veterans and their
spouses to jobs through local Chambers in 100 communities throughout
the Country. Our Chamber will be hosting such a job fair in early 2012.
So, we should ask, how strong is the relationship between those who
help Veterans transition to the private sector & the Chambers of
Commerce throughout the United States? Are Chambers looked to as a
resource for those involved with Veteran transition as a resource to
help? Chambers exist because we serve our members. One of the most
important things we do is engage on Workforce issues.
I want to thank this committee for hearing testimony today. As I
said before, I am honored to speak on this issue. Simple words of
appreciation cannot express the gratitude I feel for those who chose to
protect our freedoms. I was taught that actions speak louder than
words. It is only through action can we all truly express our gratitude
to those who have defended our freedoms.
Respectfully submitted.
Prepared Statement of Michael S. Landram, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, Fort Wayne, IN
Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee. My name is
Mike Landram. I am President and CEO of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber
of Commerce. We are the third largest Chamber in Indiana with over 1700
members who do a total of $18 billion of business in over 750
industries in Northeast Indiana.
The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is very involved in
veteran's affairs issues. In addition to having veteran-owned
businesses as members, we are heavily engaged in advancing the defense
industry in northeast Indiana.
Like the rest of the country, we are acutely aware of the
employment struggles veterans are faced with. We have a unique insight
into that issue due to the large National Guard base in Fort Wayne. We
are in regular communication with the base on issues facing their
Guardsmen and are actively pursuing programs to fight unemployment
among veterans.
The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is a charter member of
the Northeast Indiana Defense Industry Association Board (NIDIA).
NIDIA's Membership is comprised of businesses, higher education,
Congressional staffers, all working toward a common goal: funding the
defense industry and providing regional support and promotion for the
industry and the contributions made to the defense industry in Fort
Wayne.
Secondly workforce development is a critical concern for the
defense cluster. Many of the members of NIDIA have worked together to
define their future staffing needs. Due to the aging engineer
workforce, engineers in many specialized areas will be retiring.
Members of NIDIA worked very closely in a collaborative fashion to
communicate these skill needs with their university partners as a way
to ensure future graduates will meet industry needs.
Additionally many small businesses in Northeast Indiana have
started and serve within the supply chain for the defense industry. For
example, the NIDIA group conducted a member expo as a way for the
various small business members to describe their products and services
to the defense members. At monthly NIDIA meetings presentations are
done by businesses to the Board that outline how the businesses can
work collaboratively with the defense industry in hiring and employing
veterans.
Lastly Northeast Indiana established PTAC (Procurement Technical
Assistance Center) in 2009. The PTAC serves as an advisor to businesses
informing them how to qualify themselves in doing business with
government.
In addition to our involvement with NIDIA, our Chamber is assisting
the National Guard base with implementing a STARBASE program in Fort
Wayne. STARBASE is geared towards elementary students, mainly fifth
graders, to expose them to STEM. These students are traditionally at-
risk students. The program encourages their learning in areas of
academics that are historically under-represented in STEM. Military
volunteers from ``National Guard, Navy, Marine, Air Force Reserve and
Air Force bases across the Nation work with students to set and achieve
goals by applying abstract principles to real world situations''. \1\
STARBASE is a perfect example of the investment we can make in the
young people of our society in the hopes that they will take this
experience and apply it to whatever field they choose to pursue.
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\1\ DoD STARBASE. (2011). Program Description. Retrieved from:
http://www.starbasedod.com/
index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=66&Itemid=60.
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We know the issue of unemployment among veterans is an issue that
will continue for the unforeseeable future, given our current economic
state. To that end, our Chamber, along with the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, is planning on hosting a Hiring Our Hoosiers event in Fort
Wayne in the next year. The scheduling of this event has not been set
due to the uncertainty of the deployment schedule in our area. These
events benefit not only veterans, but are open to their spouses as
well. The issues Veterans face concerning employment are substantial.
As home to a National Guard base, we hear stories of soldiers deployed,
only to return to jobs that have been downsized or eliminated. At the
same time, in this double dip recession, their spouses are having
trouble maintaining employment. While these issues are not unique to
veterans, they are exacerbated by their inability to determine their
schedule.
As part of our commitment to furthering the advancement of the
military in Fort Wayne, I sit as Secretary of the newly formed Fort
Wayne Base Community Council. Our purpose is as stated: to continue and
improve the outstanding relationship between the civilian community and
the military service community centered around Fort Wayne, Indiana; and
to promote the general welfare, prosperity, and quality of life between
military and civilian populations. By being involved with this Council,
our goal is to partner businesses and military in order to create a
mutually beneficial partnership among them.
In closing, our focus is not confined to working in our community.
We are also engaged at the State level in legislation that will benefit
Veterans. During the 2011 General Assembly, our Chamber supported State
Representative Tom Dermody's bill, House Bill 1183, to study the
effects of a 3 percent price preference for veteran-owned businesses in
Indiana. It was assigned to the Commission on Military and Veterans
Affairs for study in the interim. We know that, while small, this is an
important step forward for Veterans and a step in the right direction
in addressing the unemployment issues among them. In addition to
supporting this bill, our Chamber was instrumental in getting one of
our Members, Jerry Hogan, a veteran and business owner in northeast
Indiana, appointed to the Commission to ensure that Veterans were
getting the most benefit from the price preference.
If the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce can be of any
assistance in this important fight, I encourage you to call on us.
Thank you again for your time and attention to this significant matter.
Prepared Statement of Gregg Norris, Human Resources Manager,
BAE Systems, Electronic Systems Sector, Fort Wayne, IN
Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee. As a representative of an employer of nearly 1000
employees in Northeast Indiana, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss
with you the experiences we have had in recruiting and employing nearly
100 veterans into our business.
About our Company
My name is Gregg Norris and I am the Human Resources manager for
the BAE Systems facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana. BAE Systems is a
global defense and security company with approximately 100,000
employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and
services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced
electronics, security, information technology solutions and support
services. Our division serves the aerospace and defense community with
capabilities and products that improve operational safety and enhance
mission effectiveness.
At our Fort Wayne facility, we manufacture a variety of both
commercial and defense electronics for avionics applications. Our
workforce is comprised of approximately 650 union represented hourly
production workers with the balance of 300 support personnel in various
disciplines including engineering, finance, operations, and supply
chain management. Our Company (including legacy owners) has been in
Fort Wayne since 1985.
We have been very fortunate to be able to grow the Fort Wayne
business from just over 700 employees in 2004 to a planned population
of nearly 1000 by the end of 2011. In addition to this growth, there
has been significant attrition as a result of many of our employees
retiring. Consequently, we have hired nearly 500 employees over the
past 5 years. Veteran hiring has played a significant role in the
success of this effort.
Veteran Hiring
Local hiring efforts that focus on veteran hiring include
participation in the BAE Systems Corporate Warrior Integration Program
which I will describe more fully later. We reach a large military
audience through advertising all of the Fort Wayne openings on
Vetjobs.com. Career Builder's Talent Network is also utilized which
reaches 98 percent of transitioning military through their partnerships
with the top military job boards, Department of Veteran Affairs, and
the primary social media source--Facebook. BAE Systems participates in
a variety of Corporate Gray hiring career fairs across the country
including last year's participation in Chicago where Fort Wayne
employees attended. As I mentioned earlier, currently about 10 percent
of our employee population are veterans, including 12 new veterans
hired this year.
When we consider veterans during our recruiting process, we feel
there are many positive skill sets that these individuals automatically
offer our Company. Two of the talents that servicemen and women offer
immediately as a result of their military experiences are teamwork and
a sense of self-discipline. It is critical to our business that we have
employees with the necessary skills to effectively work together. Like
the military, for us to be successful, we must all work together toward
a common goal or mission.
The discipline that is instilled in soldiers as part of their
military background is also a strongly desired employee attribute. We
need people that show up for work, arrive on time, support our
leadership, and have a strong sense of respect for themselves, their
coworkers and the Company's values; all characteristics we typically
find in our veterans.
The Wounded Warrior Program
It is my pleasure to have with me today, James Rodriquez. James is
the Director of BAE Systems' Warrior Integration Services. BAE System's
Warrior Integration Program has been very successful and I would like
to share some information about the program with you today.
Although there are challenges facing veterans with disabilities as
they return to the workforce, there are a variety of organizations and
businesses within the country who are working diligently at assisting
veterans to overcome these obstacles and BAE Systems is one of them.
The employees of BAE Systems have resolved to positively impact these
issues and to directly enhance the transition of our veterans and
Wounded Warriors by establishing a Warrior Integration Program. The
defining word in our Warrior Integration Program is INTEGRATION. We are
integrating veterans, Wounded Warriors, and their families into a
company that can serve as an extension of their military careers. The
program provides employment positions with which they can identify and
still maintain a connection with supporting their former soldiers,
sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines. The value of service that
these young men and women bring to our workforce is immeasurable. Due
to their unique set of military skills, training, and leadership
experience, they bring a new perspective to the way we do business and
the products we build. It is a worthy and necessary investment to
actively find ways to employ Wounded Warriors within BAE Systems and to
dispel the perception that they are not employable. In order to do
this, our business leaders from the corporate senior leadership team to
the first line supervisors have chosen to take a leading role in the
implementation, and sustainment of the program. From the beginning of
our program initiative in 2008 to the current Warrior Integration
Services we have today, we have known that our success in this great
endeavor depends on two words--leadership and education. We have
successfully established a supportive infrastructure within BAE Systems
for our Warriors which adds to our talent pipeline, strengthens our
customer connections, enhances our military charity partner
relationships, and extends our view of diversity and inclusion. In
essence, our employment position fundamentally provides mission-
centered work with which the veteran can identify, contribute, and be
passionate. It also provides an opportunity for career progression and
growth.
We have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of
these young men and women by creating employment opportunities in an
uncertain environment. BAE Systems is committed to assisting our
Nation's heroes with a new uniform and the same commitment to which
they are accustomed. The Warrior Integration Program has had a dramatic
impact on the veterans' abilities to successfully transition to the
workforce after their military service. It has also made a positive
impact on the business and the stability of the veterans' families.
BAE Systems Military Leave Policies
BAE Systems Military Leave policies exceed Federal legal
requirements in supporting its employees who serve in the military.
Employees who are actively serving in the military are eligible to
receive a military pay differential that covers the difference between
military pay and their regular BAE Systems salary. Reservists on duty
for annual training may receive up to 2 weeks of differential pay, and
employees called to active duty may receive up to 6 months of
differential pay. Additionally, if applicable, we are able to implement
a flexible work schedule to allow for mandatory medical appointments
for veterans and Wounded Warriors. In these specific instances,
alternate shifts serve to accommodate absences. Medical appointments
can be attended during non-working hours and the veteran or Wounded
Warrior can be assured his or her employment within the business
remains intact while they serve our country at home or overseas.
Recommendations
In terms of recommendations that I would offer to the Committee,
based on feedback from our recruiting team, I would first and foremost
encourage continued focus on education and opportunities for Veterans
to return to school. Many of the positions within BAE Systems require
college degrees which can be an obstacle for veterans. Although the
majority of our positions are hourly associates in Fort Wayne and
require only a high school diploma, post secondary educational
experiences can still be of great value to a veteran candidate in
differentiating themselves from a very large pool of potential
candidates. Although the Fort Wayne site is a manufacturing location,
most of our salaried support positions require technical degrees
typically in electrical and mechanical engineering.
As I considered other recommendations, I thought it might be
beneficial if I spoke with a veteran that we recently hired. For
purposes of this testimony I will refer to our veteran employee as
Bruce. Bruce is an 11-year veteran who served in both Afghanistan and
Iraq. He served in multiple capacities including his final duty as lead
security for his executive officer. Bruce saw extensive combat action
while in theater and was eventually released from duty in 2007 due to
severe injuries he had sustained. It gave me a profound sense of
gratitude and honor to listen to Bruce describe the sacrifices he had
made for our country.
I asked Bruce how he heard about our job openings and why he had
applied for one of our positions. He told me that he had maintained a
close relationship with his former executive officer who had retired
from the military and taken a position with BAE Systems in
Fayetteville, Georgia. Bruce's former executive officer had recommended
BAE Systems as a strong company with good values. Bruce also recalled
several instances of BAE Systems' equipment that he had used while on
active duty. Bruce then did an internet search on BAE Systems and found
our production associate job posting online. He applied, met all of the
selection criteria and joined our team on August 29th this year.
I then asked Bruce what recommendations he might have for the
Subcommittee. Bruce hesitated a long moment and he said, ``Tell them I
would describe how I felt when I left the service in one word--
helplessness.'' Bruce went on to tell me that he vividly recalls
receiving his military paperwork and being told he was free to leave;
but he had no idea what to do next. He had been provided some resume
building assistance but he had no idea where or how to start finding a
job, let alone a career.
After listening to Bruce's story, I would respectfully recommend
some attention be given to what is provided in the way of outplacement
services for our veterans. Resume building is one small piece of this
process. There is, however, so much more in the way of career
counseling provided by outplacement companies. These services would
provide immeasurable benefit to our veterans. BAE Systems uses similar
companies to provide this much needed service for our employees that
are impacted by reductions in force. The employees that we are no
longer able to employ are very appreciative of this service. I would
expect that our veterans would feel the same sense of appreciation
should they be offered this assistance as they re-join civilian life.
Chairman Stutzman and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, we
at BAE Systems are proud to be able to support our fighting men and
women, both in combat and in the workplace when they return to life at
home. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you today.
Prepared Statement of Chris R. Straw, Team Quality Services, Auburn, IN
Team Quality Services
Auburn, IN.
October 13, 2011
Marlin Stutzman
Chairman
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Dear Congressman Stutzman:
Regarding veteran employment issues in Northeast Indiana, I have a
very unique perspective. Being born and raised in Northeast Indiana I
am very aware of the perceptions and beliefs and the regional culture.
I am also a veteran, so I have personal experience in being on that
side of the employment line as a veteran. Lastly, now as a business
owner and employer I frequently deal with employment issues from that
side of the table.
I feel that employment issues for veterans in Northeast Indiana
fall into three basic categories; little interaction or presence of
military units in the region, low or unrelated skills/lack of higher
education and finally, uncertainty of availability of the
servicemember.
Little interaction or presence of military units in the region.
Compare Northeast Indiana with a state like Texas. Texas has many
military bases across the state. These are typically prominent
employers and major players in the community. People may know someone
who works at the base. They certainly know about the base, have maybe
been on the base at an open house or possibly their jobs provide
services that support the base, etc. By just the proximity of the base
to the communities, the people are more educated and familiar with the
military and the military personnel on the base. I would also argue
that in many cases the perception of the military is higher among those
people than people who don't have that interaction or proximity.
Without that interaction, people in Northeast Indiana are left to
make their own judgments based on the information they have either
available or presented to them. Unfortunately, these perceptions, in
many cases are through what they see in the news, what has been
portrayed by Hollywood or their own past experiences. Reports have
indicated that returning Veterans are encountering negative employer
perceptions that Veterans are rigid, deficient in education and
technological skills, and unstable due to PTSD. In an Associated Press
(Yen, 2008) article describing this study, a Veterans group
spokesperson observed that a ``Wacko Vet Myth'' is growing among
employers -- an unintended negative consequence of years of attention
being directed at the mental health issues of returning Veterans.
Perception is reality until shown otherwise.
Low skills/lack of higher education. Many returning Veterans,
particular of college age, have very limited work experience outside
the military. Many of those just out of high school have been delayed
going to college because of deployments and many servicemembers who are
members of the National Guard/Reserves have had to leave college mid-
year or mid semester because they have been called to active duty. This
has put many young members of the armed forces at a distinct
disadvantage to their civilian peers. Then, when they get out of the
military, their highly focused skill doesn't match the qualifications
required by employers in our region.
Uncertainty of availability of the servicemember. Employers are
very aware of the increase in deployment activity of our
servicemembers. Guard and Reserve personnel are routinely deployed
overseas to support the war on terror. The length of this current
campaign has required even multiple deployments for some personnel. Add
to that the knowledge that there doesn't seem to be an end anywhere on
the horizon and employers are reluctant to invest the time and money
into on-boarding a new employee who may or may not be at work because
of a Guard/Reserve commitment. This is especially the case with high
unemployment numbers, the abundance of qualified candidates in the
marketplace and sluggish economy forcing employers to work as lean as
possible. What's an employer to do while the servicemember is deployed?
Is he supposed to hire a replacement, then lay them off and pay
unemployment to them because you have to keep the servicemembers spot
open for them? What would you do?
Now, look at the cumulative picture of all of these points from the
viewpoint of a Northeast Indiana employer with the perceptions and
beliefs typical of this region. Unfortunately, the odds aren't in the
favor of the vet. So how do you overcome these issues? Education,
involvement, publicity and predictability are the things that I feel
will help reverse the perceptions and trends in Northeast Indiana.
Sincerely,
Chris R. Straw
Prepared Statement of LTC Anthony D. Tabler, USA (Ret.),
Senior Business Development Manager, Communications and Force
Protection Systems, ITT Electronic Systems, Fort Wayne, IN
My name is Anthony D. Tabler (Tony), and I am currently serving as
a Senior Business Development Manager in ITT's Communications and Force
Protection Systems business area located in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I graduated from the United States Military Academy in July 1975. I
spent 22 years in the U.S. Army attaining the rank of rank of
Lieutenant Colonel and retired from the Army in 2001 after which I was
hired by ITT in Fort Wayne.
During my time at ITT I've had regular contact with members of the
military to include active Army, National Guard and reservists. I have
spoken with them at their military places of duty, in the community and
at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission. I understand the challenges they face
as they transition from military to civilian life. I also understand
the challenges they have in finding and keeping a job, and that the
challenges of transitioning from the military is often greater for
lower enlisted servicemembers than for senior military officers such as
myself.
I'm clearly not an expert on addressing unemployment issues for
veterans, but I will share my views on what I think can be done to help
decrease the unemployment rate for veterans, National Guard and
reservists. I will also provide insights on what ITT does in Fort Wayne
to help veterans find and maintain employment. For sake of simplicity I
will only make reference to veterans through the remainder of this
testimony.
I think it is only fitting to first answer the question, why do we
care about veterans? My answer would be that veterans and their family
members sacrifice much as they serve our country in time of war and
peace. Our veterans are willing to give their all to protect the
interests of the Nation and allow you and I enjoy the freedoms we have
in America. They may not fully understand or appreciate how important
their job is, but veterans deserve our care, compassion and help.
Helping veterans to find employment should start when they
transition from their military units and return to civilian life. When
I transitioned from the military at Fort Gordon, Georgia, I received
guidance and coaching at the Fort Gordon transition office on how to
write a resume, and how to best describe my skills and capabilities in
a way that the civilian sector would understand. Transitioning for me
was easy because I was a Lieutenant Colonel, member of the Army's
acquisition corps, had a masters degree in electrical engineering and
many contacts in the defense companies who offered to help me get a job
in their respective companies. My rank, job skills and degree made it
easy for me to transition but this is not the case for the younger
veterans. Every veteran, however, possesses valuable skills that can
add tremendous value to any community. Some possess detailed technical
skills, while all possess leadership skills that will serve them well
in every job profession that I can think of.
The excitement of leaving the military quickly fades when the
veteran arrives at his hometown and they try to figure out what they
want to do as a civilian. I believe it is important for the veteran to
be able to visit, for lack of better words, a civilian in-processing
center that provides an opportunity for them take a job aptitude test
to determine the type of work they would best be suited for. I'm not
sure where this would occur but it potentially could be conducted at an
existing Veterans Affairs facility. I would compare this to a student
taking a college aptitude test to determine which career field is the
best match for them. During this civilian in-processing, the veteran
should be given assistance in developing a resume that allows them to
match their skills against job opportunities in the community. I found
that writing and rewriting my resume really forced me to think about
what I wanted to do when I departed the military. The veterans should
also be coached on how to dress and participate in a job interview. I
would highly recommend that a case worker be assigned for those who
want and need extra help. It would also be of tremendous value if the
civilian in-processing facility had a current listing of military
friendly businesses and job opportunities in the community.
With regard to military friendly businesses, I believe that
offering some type of tax credit to companies who hire veterans would
encourage them to be military friendly and make it appealing for them
to hire veterans.
Once the veteran finds a job I believe it is important to offer
them a military friendly place they can periodically visit that helps
them get and stay connected to the community. This could potentially
take place at Veterans Affairs or National Guard facilities, American
Legion Posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts or Disabled American
Veterans Chapters or places of worship. This would give veterans a
place to congregate to talk about what is happening in their lives.
This would also be a great opportunity for caring professionals in the
community to speak with and mentor veterans on topics of concern. I am
sure that professionals in the community would be willing to donate
their time, offer free seminars or lead discussion groups on topics
that educate and benefit veterans if they knew there was a need.
I would like to mention one other aspect of transitioning from the
military. Places of worship should be encouraged to reach out to the
military and their families. Many veterans, especially those returning
from war, have serious emotional issues that they need to deal with.
Their families suffer and often do not know where to turn for help.
Places of worship should not try to deal with serious emotional and
mental issues, but there is no substitute for a caring person coming
along side another to deal with the struggles of life. Places of
worship need to become better educated in the area of veteran issues
and develop creative ways to reach out to veterans and their families.
I would now like to share some ideas on things that ITT is doing to
recognize and care for our veterans.
ITT in Fort Wayne hires veterans in the course of our normal
recruiting activities. Although we do not have a formally documented
program that we follow to hire veterans, we do include veteran friendly
organizations in our normal recruiting outreach. For example we target
Navy veterans for our Fleet Systems Engineering Team (FSET) and Army
veterans for our Field Services Representative (FSR) positions. We e-
mail FSET job openings to NAVNET for posting on their communications
board. We also post to www.recruitmilitary.com and www.vetjobs.com. We
also periodically attend Recruit Military career fairs and place
advertisements in the Search and Employ Quarterly Magazine sponsored by
Recruit Military.
Our employment records indicate that 83 ITT employees have self-
identified themselves as U.S. veterans in Fort Wayne. This count is
likely low because some employees elect not to identify veteran status
when they are hired.
The Web site www.Indeed.com scrapes our Geospatial Systems Web site
daily and posts job listings to numerous Web sites that provide focus
for veterans seeking jobs. In addition, we post to Monster (Monster has
military.com) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) which is a business-
related social networking site in an effort to target veterans.
In Fort Wayne ITT is also a member of the Northeast Indiana Defense
Industry Association (NIDIA) whose two fold mission is to support and
grow the defense industry in NE Indiana (serving as a model statewide
now) and to grow talent for the defense industry. This group also
focuses on the employment of veterans. It is not uncommon for members
of this group to share resumes of veterans between member companies.
ITT also is a member of the Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve (ESGR). The mission of the ESGR is to ``develop and promote
employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant
initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of
applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and
servicemembers.'' ITT has received the ESGR Patriot Award in
recognition of being an outstanding employer who supports members of
the National Guard and Reserves.
ITT also participates in the newly founded Fort Wayne Base
Community Council which supports the Guard and Reserve in Northeast
Indiana. The Fort Wayne community has recognized this as important and
has reached out to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base who has an
established program in Michigan to help coach the establishment of our
group.
Although I have made just a few brief comments, I hope that I have
sparked a few ideas that will result in ways that could help reduce the
unemployment rate of veterans, National Guard and reservists.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify before this Subcommittee
and would be glad to be of service in the future. I'd be glad to take
any questions at this time.
Prepared Statement of Mark W. Everson, Commissioner,
Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Indianapolis, IN
Introduction
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Braley, I appreciate the
opportunity to appear before you to discuss veteran employment issues
in the state of Indiana. Providing employment and training services to
veterans is among the highest priorities of the Department of Workforce
Development in Indiana, where the U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that
just below 10 percent of the adult population are veterans, with over
half of those between the ages of 18 and 65. My testimony will provide
a brief overview of Indiana's economy and employment outlook, and a
summary of Indiana's workforce investment system and programs. I will
also provide data regarding the characteristics of Indiana's veterans
and share a summary of the employment and training programs made
available to veterans around the state, and specifically in northeast
Indiana.
Indiana Economic Profile
Indiana's labor force is approximately 3.1 million, down from just
over 3.2 million in the summer of 2007. The state's unemployment rate
peaked in June 2009 at 10.9 percent. Since that time, the unemployment
rate has fallen to just below 9.0 percent.
In January 2010, over 271,000 Hoosiers collected unemployment
insurance benefits from either state or Federal programs. Since that
date, the number of Hoosiers collecting benefits has declined to
approximately 115,000 at present.
Private sector employment in Indiana is estimated at 2.4 million
jobs. Significant sectors include manufacturing (19.0 percent of
private employment), along with private education and health services
(18.3 percent), trade (17.4 percent), and professional and business
services (11.7 percent). The importance of manufacturing to the state's
economy is hard to overstate because of historically high wages in the
sector. The government sector employs over 400,000 Hoosiers.
Employment projections for the state indicate that employment
opportunities in the future will be found in health care,
transportation, and professional, scientific and technical areas.
Indiana will need to continue to develop a skilled workforce to meet
the demands of employers.
Northeast Indiana Economic Profile
DWD defines northeast Indiana (Economic Growth Region 3) as the
geographic area including the following counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb,
Grant, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and
Whitley. It is home to nearly 364,000 workers. The primary employment
sectors within northeast Indiana are manufacturing (including the
defense industry), private education and health services, professional
and business services, trade, and agriculture.
Northeast Indiana's economy has been historically characterized by
a relatively large number of high-paying manufacturing jobs. As has
been seen in many parts of the United States, northeast Indiana was
significantly impacted by the loss of a number of these jobs. However,
over the last year, northeast Indiana has seen an uptick in its overall
employment outlook. The unemployment rate for the region has decreased
by nearly 2 percentage points to 8.9 percent, and employers have slowly
begun to increase employment numbers. Current employment projections
for the area indicate that both short and long term employment
opportunities will be found in a range of manufacturing-related
occupations (due primarily to retirements) and in health care. The area
also has potential growth in sectors such as business and financial
services, transportation and material moving, and construction
occupations. DWD and its WorkOne centers recognize the need to develop
a skilled workforce in northeast Indiana that can meet the demands of
these growing sectors.
Indiana Veterans
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing statistical
survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The information gathered
includes employment status, income, veteran status, education level,
and disability information. For 2010, ACS estimates Indiana is home to
approximately 469,600 veterans, or nearly 10 percent of its adult
population. However, almost 200,000 Indiana veterans are over 65 and
generally not in the workforce. Veterans ages 18 to 65 years total
approximately 276,600. Veterans between the ages of 18 and 34 total
approximately 30,500; between the ages of 35 and 54 total approximately
126,800; and between the ages of 55 and 64 total approximately 119,300.
94.4 percent of Indiana's veterans are male and 5.6 percent are female.
According to ACS, the 2010 unemployment rate among Indiana's
veterans was 12.4 percent, compared with the total state unemployment
rate of 10.7 percent during the same time period. There are
approximately 3,300 veterans collecting benefits at present. Almost
12,000 veterans have collected benefits over the past 12 months.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently
conducted a survey that indicated, among other findings, that the
unemployment rate of Gulf War II era veterans 18 years or older in the
State of Indiana was 23.6 percent. Beyond the overall results of this
survey, BLS has not provided any information on the survey's
methodology nor the specific data that were collected. DWD believes
this figure is overstated. It is our view that unemployment among these
veterans is somewhat but not dramatically higher than that of the
workforce as a whole.
Additionally, ACS indicates that the education level of Indiana's
veterans tends to be higher than that of civilians, with the exception
of those that have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher. 18.7 percent
of Indiana's veterans have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher,
compared with 23.2 percent of the non-veteran population. In addition,
according to ACS, in 2010 a smaller percentage of Indiana's veterans
(7.4 percent) lived below the poverty level than the non-veteran
population (13.8 percent), but a higher percentage of Indiana's
veterans had a disability (26.1 percent) than the non-veteran
population (14.3 percent).
Indiana Workforce Investment System and Programs
DWD is the state agency that oversees and manages unemployment
insurance compensation and federally-funded employment and training
programs in Indiana. DWD manages federally-funded Workforce Investment
Act, Wagner-Peyser Act, Trade Adjustment Assistance, Adult Education,
and Veterans Employment and Training programs. DWD receives 100 percent
of the budget for its education and training programs from Federal
funds made available through the United States Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration, with the exception of the Adult
Education program, for which we receive both state and Federal funds.
Like all other states, Indiana is divided into a number of local
service areas, which provide federally-funded employment and training
services through a network of One-Stops (called WorkOne centers in
Indiana). There are twelve local service areas, operating within 11
economic growth regions, and 90 WorkOne centers throughout the regions.
Each of the local service areas is governed by a workforce board,
comprised of local business leaders, economic development
professionals, labor and education representatives, and other
community-based organization leaders. These boards hire staff and
service-provider organizations to manage the WorkOne centers and to
offer workforce investment services in collaboration with the staff of
DWD.
All customers who visit a WorkOne center are offered access to
services that assist them in gaining the skills necessary to become
reemployed at a self-sufficient level, and will provide the customer
with support throughout his or her period of unemployment.
Specifically, WorkOne centers provide customers with access to
unemployment insurance compensation, case management and career
counseling, job search assistance, skill-building workshops, short and
long-term training, as well as other supportive services. All enrolled
WorkOne customers are placed into one of two tracks: the job-to-job
track, where staff provide the customer with reemployment assistance;
or the job-to-training-to-job track, where it is determined that the
client needs additional training in order to become employed at a self-
sufficient level.
DWD also places a high emphasis on making on-the-job training
available to eligible, unemployed workers. Through on-the-job training,
an unemployed worker is hired by an employer, and provided training on
the specific skills needed to successfully perform the job. Since 2009,
DWD has invested nearly $6 million in on-the-job training, based on the
belief that it is beneficial to both of its primary customers:
unemployed individuals and employers. Unemployed individuals are
provided with a job and the opportunity to learn new skills and
employers are reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the participant's
wages over a 6 month period in order to compensate for training costs.
In addition to the services made available to unemployed customers,
WorkOne centers also offer a number of services to local employers,
including job matching, job profiling, management of large hiring
events, information regarding employment-based tax credits, and on-the-
job training funds as just indicated. DWD provides annual funds which
support a number of business services staff, who are responsible for
connecting with local employers and providing them with no-cost,
workforce services.
Indiana Veteran Employment and Training Services
Indiana is committed to providing quality employment services to
veterans at its WorkOne centers. Veterans receive priority service, and
most of the centers have an on-site veteran specialist who assists with
employment needs. DWD currently receives funding to employ sixty-two
Veteran Employment and Training staff throughout Indiana. Thirty-four
of these positions are Local Veteran Employment Representatives (LVER)
and twenty-eight of these positions are Disabled Veteran Outreach
Program Specialists (DVOP). All of the LVERs are required to be
veterans and DVOPs must be veterans with a service-connected
disability.
Services that are provided to eligible veterans at WorkOne centers
include:
Orientation to IndianaCAREERConnect.com, the State's
largest jobs-board;
Assistance looking for a job, developing a resume, and
preparing for an interview;
Direct referral to jobs;
Referral to other Federal, state and local agencies (as
appropriate to their self-sufficiency needs);
Assistance transitioning into civilian employment;
Training incentives and grants;
Guidance finding vocational training;
Post-employment counseling; and
Occupational skills assessment.
In order to ensure that veterans receive access to skill-building
activities and training, DWD has pursued a number of special employment
and training grants. Indiana was awarded and is currently managing a
special Veterans Workforce Investment Program Grant. This United States
Department of Labor grant of $500,000, which was supplemented with
$250,000 from DWD, is designed to provide training that results in
industry-recognized certifications to veterans with service-connected
disabilities, veterans that have significant barriers to employment,
and all recently separated veterans. Additionally, for all training
programs overseen and managed by DWD, eligible veterans are provided
with priority of service. This priority ensures that veterans are
provided with first access to skill-building training when funds or
available training slots are limited.
Additionally, DWD ensures that veterans are provided with priority
of service in its job matching program. Veterans are provided with
first access to open positions posted on IndianaCareerConnect.com; the
open positions are held for twenty-four hours, allowing only qualified
veterans to apply.
DWD recognizes the barriers that returning veterans face when
attempting to access services, locate suitable employment, and reenter
the civilian workforce. In order to assist returning veterans in
accessing services, DWD has positioned a LVER at Camp Atterbury to
assist demobilizing National Guard and Reserve personnel. This LVER
provides servicemembers with employment information during their
demobilization. In addition, the LVER collects individual employment
information, and then provides it to the servicemember's state
employment agency. DWD also continues to support the National Guard
Yellow Ribbon Transition Programs around the State and at the two
National Guard Air Bases. Although demobilizations have decreased in
their frequency and size, DWD remains committed to providing employment
services to this program. Since January 2010, several thousand soldiers
and airman have received employment information through Camp Atterbury
and/or participated in a Yellow Ribbon Program.
Finally, in order to assist veterans with locating suitable
employment, DWD has supported and managed several career fairs
specifically targeted to veterans. In April 2011, DWD sponsored
``Operation Hire a Hoosier Veteran'' career fair in Central Indiana.
Over 100 employers and vendors participated in this career fair, and
several hundred Indiana veterans attended the fair and had the
opportunity to network with employers, submit resumes and applications
for job openings, interview for positions, and attend skill-building
workshops offered by DWD staff.
From July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, over 20,000 veterans were
provided with employment and training services in the state of Indiana
through WorkOne centers.
Northeast Indiana Veteran Employment and Training Services
Approximately 32,000 veterans, age 18 to 65, live in northeast
Indiana, representing nearly 12 percent of Indiana's working-age
veterans. This number continues to grow as veterans return from Iraq
and Afghanistan. There is a great need to ensure veterans in the region
receive job training opportunities that will help them develop the
skills required to find civilian employment.
Over the past year, WorkOne offices in northeast Indiana have
conducted a comprehensive outreach campaign to veterans and veteran-
serving organizations in the region. This campaign has had a singular
mission: to increase the number of veterans engaged in workforce
services. Activities included outreach efforts at Veteran's
Administration locations that provided on-site delivery of a wide range
of job-search workshops (resume writing, interview skills, and online
job searches); outreach efforts to regional homeless facilities,
including the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission; and monthly outreach efforts
to regional veteran's organizations (VFW, American Legion, and others)
to ensure that the veterans community is prepared to identify and refer
veterans in need of assistance to WorkOne Northeast for services.
Additionally, a military career fair was recently held in northeast
Indiana that focused on supporting reservists/guardsmen and veterans.
At this event, a dozen human resources professionals from regional
employers were brought together to share information about available
job openings and to offer advice and instruction to veterans in
attendance on the best ways to access these opportunities. This event
had the full support of the Wing Commander and his staff and will be
replicated in other events.
In the past year, WorkOne centers in northeast Indiana provided
employment and training services to approximately 3,000 veterans.
Significantly, nearly 25 percent of these veterans received training to
improve their technical skills, and increase their prospects for
gainful employment. Also, during the same time period, veterans served
through the WorkOne Northeast centers received approximately 5,000
referrals for potential employment, and were provided with career
counseling support by WorkOne staff on approximately 2,000 occasions.
The focus of this career counseling has been to help veterans
understand and appreciate the transferability of their military skill
sets to the civilian labor market.
Northeast Indiana meets or exceeds performance targets established
for Veterans Employment and Training programs by the United States
Department of Labor. During the current program year, WorkOne centers
in northeast Indiana exceeded nearly all of their performance targets.
For example, the Consolidate Veteran Entered Employment Rate was 61
percent, which exceeded the target by 11 percent, and the Consolidated
Veterans Average Earnings was $30,060 annually.
Challenges Affecting Veteran Employment Opportunities
DWD believes that there are four primary challenges veterans
encounter regarding employment opportunities. First, veterans have
predominantly been employed in industries among the hardest hit by the
economic recession. According to a report issued by the U.S. Congress
Joint Economic Committee Chairman's staff on May 2011, Post-9/11
veterans were more likely than non-veterans to have been employed in
manufacturing, construction, transportation, and other industries that
experienced significant job losses during 2008 and 2009. DWD agrees
with this finding. Veterans continue to struggle with securing gainful
employment, especially in the manufacturing sector, which is down about
18 percent from its peak employment in 2007. While veterans from the
Guard or Reserves receive statutory protection to retain their pre-
deployment position upon completion of their deployment, if an
employer's workforce has been downsized due to layoffs, the returning
veteran may not always find a job upon return.
The second challenge deals with the skills veterans develop while
serving in the military and their ability to translate those skills
into private sector employment. DWD has found that some of the skills
veterans develop do not always directly correlate to certifications and
credentials often required for private employment. For example, a
veteran may have operated heavy equipment and vehicles during his or
her service, but does not hold a commercial drivers license that is
often a requirement for operating heavy transportation vehicles in
private sector employment. Additionally, DWD has found that many
veterans experience difficulty expressing what specific skills they
acquired throughout their service, and how those skills transfer to the
requirements of private sector job openings. Many veterans are modest
about their service, and particularly the skills and aptitudes they
developed while serving. Although a veteran may have developed and
utilized essential job skills, his or her inability to relate those
skills to the requirements of a job opening can lead a hiring manager
to not fully appreciate the skills a veteran has to offer.
Third, while a veteran is deployed overseas, a number of facets of
his or her home life may have changed. Some of these changes can
include the birth of a child, the loss of a family member, or even the
dissolution of a marriage. In addition, returning veterans may need to
locate a place to live, establish bank accounts, locate transportation,
and complete many other daily activities for which they may not have
been responsible during their service. These factors often complicate
the job search process, which may be given less initial priority by the
veteran.
Finally, there is an increasing number of veterans returning with
some form of a physical or mental disability. With advances in medical
care, fatalities have declined but an increasing percentage of veterans
return home with a physical disability potentially limiting future
employment opportunities. In addition, there are incidences of mental
health issues, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), among
the veteran population returning from abroad. In DWD's experience,
Indiana's employers have displayed a great willingness to provide
employment opportunities to veterans who have served the United States.
However, some employers may be somewhat cautious in hiring veterans due
to concerns about how PTSD or other mental health issues may affect
performance in the workplace.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, we at the Indiana Department of Workforce
Development, recognize our obligation to veterans and honor their
service to our country. We will continue to make every resource
available to veterans, ensuring they receive the services needed to
best overcome any barriers to employment opportunities they may face.
Thank you for allowing me to appear before you today. I would be
pleased to respond to any questions from Members of the Subcommittee.
Prepared Statement of Gary Tyler, Indiana State Director,
Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor
Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and Members of the
Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Committee about
the work we are doing at the Department of Labor (DOL or Department) to
address the important issue of decreasing the unemployment rate for
Veterans, National Guard, and Reservists. We also appreciate the
opportunity to discuss the work we are doing here in Indiana. With over
500,000 veterans living in the state, it is critical that we provide
them with the services and support they need to find and obtain good
jobs.
My name is Gary Tyler, and as the Indiana State Director for the
Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS),
I am dedicated to helping our Veterans and returning Servicemembers
achieve that goal. I am accompanied today by Heather Higgins, my
Regional Administrator.
VETS proudly serves Veterans and transitioning Servicemembers by
providing resources and expertise to assist and prepare them to obtain
meaningful careers, maximize their employment opportunities and protect
their employment rights. We do this through a variety of nationwide
programs that are an integral part of Secretary Solis's vision of
``Good Jobs for Everyone.''
I would like to begin by briefly discussing some of these programs
along with other initiatives that assist America's Veterans in getting
to or back to work and then focus specifically on information for
Indiana that you requested in your invitation.
Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program
The first program that I would like to highlight for you is the
Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) Program. Under this grant
program, the Department offers employment and training services to
eligible Veterans by allocating funds to State Workforce Agencies in
direct proportion to the number of Veterans seeking employment within
their state.
The Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program funds two
occupations, the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialist (DVOP)
and the Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER). DVOP
specialists provide outreach services, and intensive employment
assistance to meet the employment needs of eligible Veterans. LVER
staff conducts outreach to employers and engages in advocacy efforts
with hiring executives to increase employment opportunities for
Veterans, encourages the hiring of disabled Veterans, and generally
assists Veterans to gain and retain employment.
Last year, the JVSG provided services to nearly 589,000 Veterans,
and 201,000 Veterans found jobs.
Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program
To meet the needs of homeless Veterans and help reintegrate them
into the workforce, VETS administers the Homeless Veterans'
Reintegration Program (HVRP). Through HVRP, the Department provides
competitive grants to state and local workforce investment boards,
state agencies, local public agencies, and private non-profit
organizations, including faith-based organizations and neighborhood
partnerships. HVRP grantees provide an array of services utilizing a
holistic case management approach that directly assists homeless
Veterans and provides training services to help them to successfully
transition into the labor force.
In Program Year (PY) 2009, over 14,000 homeless Veterans
participated in this program through 96 grants, and 8,470 were placed
into employment. Data for PY 2010 is not yet available, as figures for
the 4th quarter are still being verified.
Veterans' Workforce Investment Program
Yet another way the Department is working to help Veterans get back
to work is through the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP).
Through VWIP, the Department awards competitive grants geared toward
focused training, re-training and employment opportunities for recently
separated Veterans, Veterans with service-connected disabilities,
Veterans with significant barriers to employment and Veterans who
served on active duty during expeditions or campaigns for which
specific badges were awarded. These grants are awarded to meet the
needs of employers for qualified workers in high demand industries,
particularly those occupations requiring a license or certification.
The grants also promote the integration of public, private, and
philanthropic organizations with the workforce system to create synergy
and encourage innovative strategies to serve our Veterans better.
In FY 2009, VWIP was refocused to provide training and employment
services in green energy occupations as envisioned in the Green Jobs
Act of 2007. Nationwide, there currently are 22 grants serving over
4,000 Veterans in FY 2011. Here in Indiana, training and placement
services have been provided to approximately 3,000 Veterans statewide
through the VWIP program since 2002.
Transition Assistance Program
Our primary program for assisting individuals with their transition
from the military to the civilian workforce is the Transition
Assistance Program (TAP). TAP is an interagency program delivered via a
partnership involving the Department of Defense, DOL VETS, the
Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland
Security. VETS provides an employment workshop that is a comprehensive
two and a half day program during which participants are provided
relevant skills and information, such as job search techniques, career
decision-making processes, and current labor market conditions.
Currently, VETS uses a mix of contractors, VETS Federal staff,
DVOPs, and LVERs as TAP facilitators. Starting in late 2012, VETS will
transition to all skilled contract facilitators.
As you know, VETS is currently in the process of redesigning and
transforming the TAP employment workshop. We are creating experiential,
effective, and enduring solutions for a successful transition from
military to civilian life and employment. The new TAP will be based on
established best practices in career transition.
Last year, nearly 130,000 transitioning Servicemembers and spouses
attended a TAP employment workshop given at one of 272 locations world-
wide.
Employer Partnerships
VETS is also implementing a new approach to employer outreach that
involves pilot programs and partnerships with the private sector,
including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Society for Human
Resource Management (SHRM). These partnerships are giving us much
broader access to employers so that we can communicate the value of
hiring a Veteran and how to access this extraordinary source of talent.
It also allows us to educate employers about the unique skills Veterans
bring with them based on their military experience. Connecting the
talent pool with the many companies looking to hire Veterans allows for
a more efficient hiring process for many Veterans and employers.
The Chamber is working to hold 100 hiring fairs exclusively for
Veterans, transitioning Servicemembers and their spouses. In the
partnership, the U.S. Chamber and its affiliates focus primarily on
securing the participation of employers while the VETS team focuses on
obtaining participation by Veterans, transitioning Servicemembers and
their spouses.
In fact, the Chamber is scheduled to partner with the VETS Indiana
Office, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Indiana National Guard,
Indiana Workforce Development, and others in the sixth annual
``Operation: Hire a Hoosier Vet'' career fair at Stout Field, Indiana
National Joint Forces Headquarters in Indianapolis on April 12, 2012.
VETS is working with SHRM to identify opportunities for VETS state
managers to meet with local SHRM chapters to connect Veterans seeking
employment with companies who are hiring. For VETS this is an effective
and efficient way to connect employers and Veterans. We are also
working with SHRM in the development of an H.R. Toolkit that will
provide employers with the methods and procedures to establish a
Veteran hiring program and to hire Veterans.
Indiana Specific Information
In your letter of invitation, you requested certain information
about Veterans in Indiana. While some specific data is unavailable, we
have nevertheless been certain to provide the most current information
available. As you know, Indiana operates a Public Labor Exchange
primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to assist all job
seekers with their employment needs. While it is available to all
populations, Veterans are given priority of service. In Indiana, the
Public Labor Exchange is known as the Work One Employment System of the
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The services and
assistance offered at DWD range from employment preparation and
comprehensive employment placement services, to intensive services
through a case management approach for Veterans with special needs.
Moreover, in FY 2011, DOL has approved funding for 61.5 FTE staff
positions to assist Veterans, divided between DVOPs and LVER staff.
Level of Education of Veterans Seeking Employment Assistance
Over the past year, 26,265 Veterans have received services through
DWD. Of the total population of Veterans served through the public
labor exchange, 988 or 3.76 percent reported less than a high school
diploma while 13,624 or 51.8 percent have a high school degree or a
GED. The total number of Veterans reporting achievement of a post-high
school degree or certification is 5489, or 20.8 percent. (See table
below.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Element Indiana Percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Number of Vets, Eligibles and Transitioning 26,265
Servicemembers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Number of Vets, Eligibles and Transitioning 988 3.76%
Servicemembers who were not HS Graduates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Number of Vets, Eligibles and Transitioning 13,624 51.8%
Servicemembers who had a HS degree or GED
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Number of Vets, Eligibles and Transitioning 5,489 20.8%
Servicemembers who had a Post-Secondary degree or
are Certified
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Form ETA 9002 A: ``Services to Participants'' July 1, 2010 through
June 30, 2011.
U.S. Department of Labor, and Employment and Training Administration
Form ETA 9002 D Services to Participants, April 1, 2010 through March
31, 2011.
Education level is not a required field when registering with the One-
Stop Career Center system; therefore, the breakdown by education level
does not equal the total number of Veterans served.
Average Placement Salary by Level of Education for Veterans
In Indiana, the 6 month Average Earnings for veterans are: $15,378
or $30,756 per annum. The principle source of information for this data
element is the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training
Administration ETA 9002 Report, Services to Participants for Program
Year Period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. While specific
placement salary data by education level are not available, the ETA
9002, Performance Outcomes for Veterans, Eligible Persons and
Transitioning Servicemembers does provide Average Earnings data.
Length of Unemployment for Veterans by Education Level
The Current Population Survey provides national data about the
employment status of the civilian non-institutional population by
educational attainment, age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino and Non-
Hispanic ethnicity. The same source provides data for unemployed
persons by duration of unemployment, educational attainment, sex, and
age as an annual average for the general population. However, data for
length of unemployment by education level for Veterans as a separate
population is not available.
Rate of Unemployment for Veterans by Education Level
In terms of unemployment rates for the general population, the
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) reports a 10.2 percent rate
for Indiana in 2010. Comparatively, the Current Population Survey
(CPS), collected by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, shows that the unemployment rate for Veterans was 9.0
percent in Indiana on average in 2010. Unemployment rate data by
education level by state is not available. (See table below.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Element Indiana
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment Rates:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calendar Year 2010 (LAUS) General Population 10.2%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calendar Year 2010 (CPS)--Veterans 9.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Number of Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
(USERRA) Complaints Filed
VETS is honored to serve our Nation's Veterans. One of the agency's
top priorities is to protect the employment rights of servicemembers
when called to serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. The goal
of the USERRA is to ensure that no member or prospective member of the
U.S. Armed forces endures any disadvantage or discrimination in
employment because of their affiliation with the military, and to
secure the reemployment rights of members of the military after active
duty service.
VETS works closely with DoD's Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Reserve Affairs' Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to
ensure that servicemembers are informed on their USERRA rights before
and after they are mobilized. We conduct continuous USERRA outreach to
educate and inform servicemembers and employers of their rights and
responsibilities under the law.
The use of the National Guard and Reserves has increased
dramatically in recent years, with more called to active duty than any
other time since the Korean War. This has increased the complexity of
issues resulting from the challenges faced by servicemembers and their
families due to lengthier and multiple deployments. This is true for
all servicemembers but because many National Guard and Reserve Units,
in particular, contend with civilian employment issues, the claims
activity post 9-11 has increased dramatically nationwide. Employers
face equal hardships in the reintegration of servicemembers into the
labor force as they deal with lengthy and multiple absences.
Your invitation asked for the number of USERRA complaints filed in
Indiana. Below, is the breakdown of complaints filed within the last 5
years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Element Indiana
------------------------------------------------------------------------
USERRA Complaints Field:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Fiscal Year 2007 32
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Fiscal Year 2008 27
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Fiscal Year 2009 32
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Fiscal Year 2010 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Fiscal Year 2011 37
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: USDOL/VETS Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights
Act Information Management System
Conclusion:
Thank you again for allowing me to testify today and for your
tireless support and commitment to our Nations Veterans. DOL and VETS
look forward to continuing to work with you and your staff on Veterans'
employment initiatives. I look forward to responding to your questions.